Bacteriotherapy in children with recurrent upper respiratory tract infections

OBJECTIVE: Children with recurrent upper-airway infections (UI) represent a social issue for their economic burden and negative impact on families. Bacteriotherapy is a new therapeutic strategy that could potentially prevent infections. The current study tested the hypothesis that recurrent UI may be prevented by bacteriotherapy.PATIENTS AND METHODS: This open study was conducted in an outpatient clinic, enrolling 80 children (40 males, mean age 5.26 +/- 2.52 years) suffering from recurrent UI. Children were treated with a nasal spray containing Streptococcus salivarius 24SMB and Streptococcus oralis 89a. 2 puffs per nostril twice a day for a week: this course was repeated for 3 months. The evaluated parameters were: number of UI and number of school and work absences: these outcomes were compared with those recorded in the past year.RESULTS: The mean number of UI significantly diminished: from 5.98 (2.30) in the past year to 2.75 (2.43) after treatment (p<0.0001). The number of school and work absences significantly diminished (from 4.50 +/- 2.81 to 2.80 +/- 3.42 and from 2.33 +/- 2.36 to 1.48 +/- 2.16 respectively: p<0.0001 for both).CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary experiment suggests that bacteriotherapy using Streptococcus salivarius 24SMB and Streptococcus oralis89a nasal spray could prevent recurrent UI in children.