Probiotics for COVID-19: real-time analysis of all 9 studies

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Database of all probiotics COVID-19 studies. The immune effects of probiotics are strain-specific and studies use different strains. Submit updates/corrections.


Aug 4	Late	Zhang et al., Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology, doi:10.1177/17562848211035670 (Peer Reviewed)	hosp. time, ↓13.6%, p=0.009	Probiotics use is associated with improved clinical outcomes among hospitalized patients with COVID-19
	Details Retrospective 375 patients in China, 179 treated with probiotics (Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Enterococcus), showing improved clinical outcomes with treatment.
Aug 4	Details Source PDF Late treatment study Late treatment study
	Zhang et al., Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology, doi:10.1177/17562848211035670 (Peer Reviewed)
	Probiotics use is associated with improved clinical outcomes among hospitalized patients with COVID-19
	Retrospective 375 patients in China, 179 treated with probiotics (Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Enterococcus), showing improved clinical outcomes with treatment. hospitalization time, 13.6% lower, relative time 0.86, p = 0.009, treatment 150, control 150, PSM. time to clinical improvement, 14.3% lower, relative time 0.86, p = 0.02, treatment 150, control 150, PSM. time to viral-, 16.7% lower, relative time 0.83, p < 0.001, treatment 150, control 150, PSM. Zhang et al., 8/4/2021, retrospective, China, Asia, peer-reviewed, 14 authors.
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Jun 30	Early	Veterini et al., Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, 15:2 (Peer Reviewed)	viral- time, ↓29.0%, p=0.22	Probiotics Intake as Adjunct Therapy for Infected Health-Care with SARS COV-2
	Details Small case control analysis with 15 probiotics patients and 15 contol patients, showing no significant differences. PCR tests were only done weekly. Dosage is unknown. 115/LOE/301.4.2/IX/2020.
Jun 30	Details Source PDF Early treatment study Early treatment study
	Veterini et al., Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, 15:2 (Peer Reviewed)
	Probiotics Intake as Adjunct Therapy for Infected Health-Care with SARS COV-2
	Small case control analysis with 15 probiotics patients and 15 contol patients, showing no significant differences. PCR tests were only done weekly. Dosage is unknown. 115/LOE/301.4.2/IX/2020. time to viral-, 29.0% lower, relative time 0.71, p = 0.22, treatment 15, control 15. Veterini et al., 6/30/2021, retrospective, Indonesia, South Asia, peer-reviewed, 6 authors.
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Jun 1	Late	Meskina et al., Therapeutic Archive, doi:10.26442/00403660.2021.04.200835 (Peer Reviewed)		Efficiency of application of sorbed probiotics in complex therapy of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2
	Details RCT 100 pneumonia patients in Russia, showing faster symptom resolution with probiotic treatment (B. bifidum 1).
Jun 1	Details Source PDF Late treatment study Late treatment study
	Meskina et al., Therapeutic Archive, doi:10.26442/00403660.2021.04.200835 (Peer Reviewed)
	Efficiency of application of sorbed probiotics in complex therapy of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2
	RCT 100 pneumonia patients in Russia, showing faster symptom resolution with probiotic treatment (B. bifidum 1). Meskina et al., 6/1/2021, Randomized Controlled Trial, Russia, Europe, peer-reviewed, 5 authors.
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May 31	PrEP	Ahanchian et al., Open Journal of Nursing, doi:10.4236/ojn.2021.115025 (Peer Reviewed)	symp. case, ↓73.3%, p=0.35	Synbiotic for Prevention of SARS-Cov2 Infection in High Risk Hospital Staffs: A Randomized Controlled Trial
	Details Small RCT 60 healthcare workers in Iran, showing lower cases with treatment but without statistical significance. Once daily oral synbiotic capsule (Lactocare®) containing 1 billion CFU L. (Lactobacillus) casei, L. rhamnosus, Streptococcu..
May 31	Details Source PDF Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis study Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis study
	Ahanchian et al., Open Journal of Nursing, doi:10.4236/ojn.2021.115025 (Peer Reviewed)
	Synbiotic for Prevention of SARS-Cov2 Infection in High Risk Hospital Staffs: A Randomized Controlled Trial
	Small RCT 60 healthcare workers in Iran, showing lower cases with treatment but without statistical significance. Once daily oral synbiotic capsule (Lactocare®) containing 1 billion CFU L. (Lactobacillus) casei, L. rhamnosus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium breve, L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium infantis, L. bulgaricus, and Fructooligosacharide. IRCT-20101020004976N6. respiratory symptoms, 73.3% lower, RR 0.27, p = 0.35, treatment 1 of 29 (3.4%), control 4 of 31 (12.9%). risk of COVID-19 case, 85.3% lower, RR 0.15, p = 0.24, treatment 0 of 29 (0.0%), control 3 of 31 (9.7%), continuity correction due to zero event. Ahanchian et al., 5/31/2021, Double Blind Randomized Controlled Trial, Iran, Middle East, peer-reviewed, 14 authors.
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May 24	Early	Gutiérrez-Castrellón et al., medRxiv, doi:10.1101/2021.05.20.21256954 (Preprint)	no recov., ↓34.7%, p<0.0001	Efficacy and safety of novel probiotic formulation in adult Covid19 outpatients: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial
	Details RCT 293 outpatients in Mexico, 147 treated with a probiotic composed of three L. plantarum strains (KABP022, KABP023 and KABP033) and one P. acidilacti strain (KABP021), showing improved recovery with treatment. There were no hospitalizat..
May 24	Details Source PDF Early treatment study Early treatment study
	Gutiérrez-Castrellón et al., medRxiv, doi:10.1101/2021.05.20.21256954 (Preprint)
	Efficacy and safety of novel probiotic formulation in adult Covid19 outpatients: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial
	RCT 293 outpatients in Mexico, 147 treated with a probiotic composed of three L. plantarum strains (KABP022, KABP023 and KABP033) and one P. acidilacti strain (KABP021), showing improved recovery with treatment. There were no hospitalizations or deaths. NCT04517422. risk of no recovery, 34.7% lower, RR 0.65, p < 0.001, treatment 69 of 147 (46.9%), control 105 of 146 (71.9%). Gutiérrez-Castrellón et al., 5/24/2021, Double Blind Randomized Controlled Trial, Mexico, North America, preprint, 9 authors.
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Mar 19	Review	Kurian et al., Archives of Medical Research, doi:10.1016/j.arcmed.2021.03.002 (Review) (Peer Reviewed)	review	Probiotics in Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: Current Perspective and Future Prospects
	Details Review of probiotics role in regulating the immune system and use in viral infections, and studies on the association of microbiota with COVID-19 patients. Authors suggest that probiotics supplementation could reduce COVID-19 morbidity an..
Mar 19	Details Source PDF Review Review
	Kurian et al., Archives of Medical Research, doi:10.1016/j.arcmed.2021.03.002 (Review) (Peer Reviewed)
	Probiotics in Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: Current Perspective and Future Prospects
	Review of probiotics role in regulating the immune system and use in viral infections, and studies on the association of microbiota with COVID-19 patients. Authors suggest that probiotics supplementation could reduce COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, and they note that probiotics may suppress the inflammatory cytokine response. Kurian et al., 3/19/2021, peer-reviewed, 11 authors.
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Mar 5	Late	Li et al., International Immunopharmacology, doi:10.1016/j.intimp.2021.107531 (Peer Reviewed)	no disch., ↑11.8%, p=0.68	The role of probiotics in coronavirus disease-19 infection in Wuhan: A retrospective study of 311 severe patients
	Details Retrospective 311 severe condition hospitalized patients in China, 123 treated with probiotics, showing slower viral clearance and recovery with treatment. Authors note that probiotics were able to moderate immunity and decrease the incid..
Mar 5	Details Source PDF Late treatment study Late treatment study
	Li et al., International Immunopharmacology, doi:10.1016/j.intimp.2021.107531 (Peer Reviewed)
	The role of probiotics in coronavirus disease-19 infection in Wuhan: A retrospective study of 311 severe patients
	Retrospective 311 severe condition hospitalized patients in China, 123 treated with probiotics, showing slower viral clearance and recovery with treatment. Authors note that probiotics were able to moderate immunity and decrease the incidence of secondary infections. risk of no hospital discharge, 11.8% higher, RR 1.12, p = 0.68, treatment 30 of 123 (24.4%), control 41 of 188 (21.8%). time to discharge, 60.0% higher, relative time 1.60, p < 0.001, treatment 123, control 188. time to viral-, 35.3% higher, relative time 1.35, p < 0.001, treatment 123, control 188. Li et al., 3/5/2021, retrospective, China, Asia, peer-reviewed, 7 authors.
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Feb 13	Review	Singh et al., Nutrition Research, doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2020.12.014 (Review) (Peer Reviewed)	review	Probiotics: A potential immunomodulator in COVID-19 infection management
	Details Review of studies supporting the use of probiotics for respiratory infections and identification of microbial strains potentially beneficial for COVID-19.
Feb 13	Details Source PDF Review Review
	Singh et al., Nutrition Research, doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2020.12.014 (Review) (Peer Reviewed)
	Probiotics: A potential immunomodulator in COVID-19 infection management
	Review of studies supporting the use of probiotics for respiratory infections and identification of microbial strains potentially beneficial for COVID-19. Singh et al., 2/13/2021, peer-reviewed, 2 authors.
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Jan 11	Late	Ceccarelli et al., Frontiers in Medicine, doi:10.3389/fnut.2020.613928 (Peer Reviewed)	death, ↓64.2%, p=0.0002	Oral Bacteriotherapy in Patients With COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study
	Details Retrospective 200 severe condition hospitalized patients in Italy, 88 treated with probiotic Sivomixx, showing lower mortality with treatment.
Jan 11	Details Source PDF Late treatment study Late treatment study
	Ceccarelli et al., Frontiers in Medicine, doi:10.3389/fnut.2020.613928 (Peer Reviewed)
	Oral Bacteriotherapy in Patients With COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study
	Retrospective 200 severe condition hospitalized patients in Italy, 88 treated with probiotic Sivomixx, showing lower mortality with treatment. risk of death, 64.2% lower, RR 0.36, p < 0.001, treatment 10 of 88 (11.4%), control 34 of 112 (30.4%), adjusted, OR converted to RR. risk of ICU admission, 15.2% lower, RR 0.85, p = 0.60, treatment 16 of 88 (18.2%), control 24 of 112 (21.4%). Ceccarelli et al., 1/11/2021, retrospective, Italy, Europe, peer-reviewed, 14 authors.
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Dec 15 2020	Review	Stavropoulou et al., Frontiers in Nutrition, doi:10.3389/fnut.2020.614986 (Review) (Peer Reviewed)	review	Probiotics as a Weapon in the Fight Against COVID-19
	Details Review of the potential benefits of probiotics for COVID-19.
Dec 15 2020	Details Source PDF Review Review
	Stavropoulou et al., Frontiers in Nutrition, doi:10.3389/fnut.2020.614986 (Review) (Peer Reviewed)
	Probiotics as a Weapon in the Fight Against COVID-19
	Review of the potential benefits of probiotics for COVID-19. Stavropoulou et al., 12/15/2020, peer-reviewed, 2 authors.
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Nov 30 2020	PrEP	Louca et al., BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, doi:10.1136/bmjnph-2021-000250 (preprint 11/30/20) (Peer Reviewed)	cases, ↓8.5%, p=0.03	Modest effects of dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from 445 850 users of the COVID-19 Symptom Study app
	Details Survey analysis of dietary supplements showing probiotic usage associated with lower incidence of COVID-19. These results are for PCR+ cases only, they do not reflect potential benefits for reducing the severity of cases. A number of bias..
Nov 30 2020	Details Source PDF Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis study Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis study
	Louca et al., BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, doi:10.1136/bmjnph-2021-000250 (preprint 11/30/20) (Peer Reviewed)
	Modest effects of dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from 445 850 users of the COVID-19 Symptom Study app
	Survey analysis of dietary supplements showing probiotic usage associated with lower incidence of COVID-19. These results are for PCR+ cases only, they do not reflect potential benefits for reducing the severity of cases. A number of biases could affect the results, for example users of the app may not be representative of the general population, and people experiencing symptoms may be more likely to install and use the app. risk of COVID-19 case, 8.5% lower, RR 0.92, p = 0.03, OR converted to RR, United Kingdom, all adjustment model. Louca et al., 11/30/2020, retrospective, United Kingdom, Europe, peer-reviewed, 26 authors.
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Oct 5 2020	Review	Olaimat et al., npj Science of Food, doi:10.1038/s41538-020-00078-9 (Review) (Peer Reviewed)	review	The potential application of probiotics and prebiotics for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19
	Details Review of the immune benefits of probiotics and clinical studies for the preventation and treatment of respiratory infections, recommending trials of probiotics for COVID-19.
Oct 5 2020	Details Source PDF Review Review
	Olaimat et al., npj Science of Food, doi:10.1038/s41538-020-00078-9 (Review) (Peer Reviewed)
	The potential application of probiotics and prebiotics for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19
	Review of the immune benefits of probiotics and clinical studies for the preventation and treatment of respiratory infections, recommending trials of probiotics for COVID-19. Olaimat et al., 10/5/2020, peer-reviewed, 10 authors.
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Jul 7 2020	Late	d'Ettorre et al., Frontiers in Medicine, doi:10.3389/fmed.2020.00389 (Peer Reviewed)	death, ↓87.0%, p=0.14	Challenges in the Management of SARS-CoV2 Infection: The Role of Oral Bacteriotherapy as Complementary Therapeutic Strategy to Avoid the Progression of COVID-19
	Details Retrospective 70 hospitalized patients in Italy, 28 treated with probiotic Sivomixx, showing lower risk of respiratory failure and faster recovery with treatment.
Jul 7 2020	Details Source PDF Late treatment study Late treatment study
	d'Ettorre et al., Frontiers in Medicine, doi:10.3389/fmed.2020.00389 (Peer Reviewed)
	Challenges in the Management of SARS-CoV2 Infection: The Role of Oral Bacteriotherapy as Complementary Therapeutic Strategy to Avoid the Progression of COVID-19
	Retrospective 70 hospitalized patients in Italy, 28 treated with probiotic Sivomixx, showing lower risk of respiratory failure and faster recovery with treatment. risk of death, 87.0% lower, RR 0.13, p = 0.14, treatment 0 of 28 (0.0%), control 4 of 42 (9.5%), continuity correction due to zero event. risk of mechanical ventilation, 76.9% lower, RR 0.23, p = 0.51, treatment 0 of 28 (0.0%), control 2 of 42 (4.8%), continuity correction due to zero event. respiratory failure, 88.4% lower, RR 0.12, p = 0.01, treatment 28, control 42, RR approximated with OR. d'Ettorre et al., 7/7/2020, retrospective, Italy, Europe, peer-reviewed, 17 authors.
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May 8 2020	Review	Baud et al., Frontiers in Public Health, doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.00186 (Review) (Peer Reviewed)	review	Using Probiotics to Flatten the Curve of Coronavirus Disease COVID-2019 Pandemic
	Details Review of data supporting the use of probiotics for COVID-19 and mechanisms of action.
May 8 2020	Details Source PDF Review Review
	Baud et al., Frontiers in Public Health, doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.00186 (Review) (Peer Reviewed)
	Using Probiotics to Flatten the Curve of Coronavirus Disease COVID-2019 Pandemic
	Review of data supporting the use of probiotics for COVID-19 and mechanisms of action. Baud et al., 5/8/2020, peer-reviewed, 5 authors.
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2015	Meta	Hao et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006895.pub3 (Preprint) (meta analysis)	meta-analysis	Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections
	Details Meta analysis of 12 RCTs with 3,720 patients showing probiotics reduced acute upper respiratory tract infections.
2015	Details Source PDF Meta Meta
	Hao et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006895.pub3 (Preprint) (meta analysis)
	Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections
	Meta analysis of 12 RCTs with 3,720 patients showing probiotics reduced acute upper respiratory tract infections. Hao et al., 1/1/2015, preprint, 3 authors.
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