Lactobacillus rhamnosus administration causes sepsis in a cardiosurgical patient—is the time right to revise probiotic safety guidelines?
Open accessAbstract
A 24-year-old female patient developed sepsis resulting from preoperative administration of probiotics following an aortic valve replacement. Blood cultures revealed the causative agent to be the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus, which has recently been implicated as an emerging aetiology of infection in those taking probiotics. In the past few years, probiotic use in hospitals has increased greatly. However, there is growing global evidence that the use of probiotics in patients with organ failure, immunocompromised status and dysfunctional gut barrier mechanisms can cause infections. This and other reports show the importance of establishing generally recognized safety guidelines.
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Several independent meta-analyses concluded that elevated TMAO is prognostic for cardiovascular events or mortality, independent of renal function and cardiovascular comorbidities.
“Most recently, several independent meta-analyses arrived at similar conclusions of elevated TMAO being prognostic for cardiovascular events or mortality, independent of renal function and cardiovascular comorbidities206–208.”
From Dietary metabolism, the gut microbiome, and heart failure (2019) · cites this paper as [206]
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Dietary metabolism, the gut microbiome, and heart failure
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- Authors
- Kochan, P., Chmielarczyk, A., Szymaniak, L., Brykczynski, M., Galant, K., Zych, A., Pakosz, K., Giedrys-Kalemba, S., Lenouvel, E., & Heczko, P. B.
- Affiliations
- Jagiellonian University (PL)
- Corresponding author
- Kochan, P.
- Venue
- Clinical Microbiology and Infection
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-10
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1589-1592
- ISSN
- 1198-743X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1625667749
- Cited by
- 104
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 6.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Clinical Microbiology and Infection (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Homo Politicus (Academy of Humanities and Economics in Lodz) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Infective Endocarditis Diagnosis and Management
- Keywords
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus, probiotic safety, aortic valve replacement, cardiac surgery, immunocompromised patients
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aortic Valve, Female, Genotype, Hospitals, Humans, Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field, Sepsis, Probiotics, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus
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