Probiotic effects on faecal inflammatory markers and on faecal IgA in food allergic atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome infants

  1. Mirva Viljanen1,
  2. Mikael Kuitunen1,
  3. Tari Haahtela1,
  4. Kaisu Juntunen-Backman1,
  5. Riitta Korpela2,3,
  6. Erkki Savilahti4

Article first published online: 3 FEB 2005

DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-3038.2005.00224.x

Issue

Pediatric Allergy and Immunology

Pediatric Allergy and Immunology

Volume 16, Issue 1, pages 65–71, February 2005

Additional Information

How to Cite

Viljanen, M., Kuitunen, M., Haahtela, T., Juntunen-Backman, K., Korpela, R. and Savilahti, E. (2005), Probiotic effects on faecal inflammatory markers and on faecal IgA in food allergic atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome infants. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, 16: 65–71. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3038.2005.00224.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    The Skin and Allergy Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki

  2. 2

    Valio Research and Development, Helsinki

  3. 3

    Institute of Biomedicine, Pharmacology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki

  4. 4

    The Hospital for Children and Adolescents, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

*Mirva Viljanen MD, The Skin and Allergy Hospital, University of Helsinki, Meilahdentie 2, 00250 Helsinki, Finland Tel.: +358 9 471 86388 Fax: +358 9 471 86416 E-mail: mirva.viljanen@hus.fi

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 3 FEB 2005
  2. Article first published online: 3 FEB 2005
  3. Accepted 19 October 2004

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Keywords:

  • atopic dermatitis;
  • infants;
  • inflammation;
  • intestine;
  • Lactobacillus GG;
  • probiotic;
  • treatment

Probiotic bacteria are proposed to alleviate intestinal inflammation in infants with atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome (AEDS) and food allergy. In such infants we investigated effects of probiotic bacteria on faecal IgA, and on the intestinal inflammation markers tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), α1-antitrypsin (AT), and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP). A total of 230 infants with AEDS and suspected cow's milk allergy (CMA) received in a randomized double-blinded manner, concomitant with elimination diet, Lactobacillus GG (LGG), a mixture of four probiotic strains (MIX), or placebo for 4 wk. Four weeks after treatment, CMA was diagnosed with a double-blind placebo-controlled milk challenge. Faecal samples of 102 infants, randomly chosen for analysis, were collected before treatment, after 4-wk treatment, and on the first day of milk challenge. After treatment, IgA levels tended to be higher in probiotic groups than in the placebo group (LGG vs. placebo, p = 0.064; MIX vs. placebo, p = 0.064), and AT decreased in the LGG group, but not in other treatment groups. After challenge in IgE-associated CMA infants, faecal IgA was higher for LGG than for placebo (p = 0.014), and TNF-α was lower for LGG than for placebo, but non-significantly (p = 0.111). In conclusion, 4-wk treatment with LGG may alleviate intestinal inflammation in infants with AEDS and CMA.

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