An antibiotic is a drug that treats infections caused by bacteria. There are many different types of antibiotics, some are bactericidal (kill bacteria), such as penicillin. Other antibiotics, such as bacteriostatic (stop bacteria from growing and multiplying). Over the years, antibiotics helped to bring under control many serious infectious diseases that were previously untreatable and frequently fatal.
With the widespread use of antibiotics, repeated or used incorrectly, there is a chance that the bacteria will become resistant. This means that the antibiotic becomes less effective against that type of bacterium. The bacteria survive exposure to an antibiotic and continue to multiply causing more harm. Some bacteria can be resistant to more than one antibiotic class and these are called multi-resistant.

Antibiotic therapy can lead to overgrowth of potentially antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria and fungi, such as Stahylococcus aureas, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. Probiotics are live beneficial microorganisms from the human gut which help to maintain protective gut microflora, reduce survival of pathogenic or bad bacteria. The most common probiotic bacteria are the Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria.

A study carried out at the Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, UK, followed 30 patients requiring the same antibiotic therapy. The patients were divided into the two groups and supplemented with probiotic containing 25 billion live bacteria per daily dose or placebo capsule in conjunction with antibiotics. None of the participants knew if they were taking probiotic or placebo.

The results demonstrated that supplementation of probiotics with 25 billion live bacteria per dose daily helped maintained the balance of gut microflora during antibiotic therapy. The group without probiotic supplement resulted in double the amount of "bad" bacteria (total fecal number of coliforms, staph. aureas and enterocci) prior initiating antibiotic treatment. Overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria can lead to gastrointestinal problems such as gas and bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and more.


Madden J.A.J et al. Effection of probiotics on preventing disruption of the intestinal microflora following antiobiotic therapy: A double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study. Int immunophar 2005:5;1091-1097.