Single Strain vs Multiple Strain Probiotics: The Clinician's Choice

Background The intention of optimizing the intestinal microbial milieu has heightened the interest of incorporating probiotics into nutritional supplements for children and adults as a therapeutic or preventive option for a variety of diseases. Prescriptions of probiotics for multiple clinical indications in paediatrics have substantially increased in the past decades and continue to rise due to convincing and growing scientific evidence around them. Aim To prospectively analyse the probiotic prescription patterns of pediatricians in a tertiary care hospital. Method This was a prospective, observational study conducted at a single center involving children aged 0 to 16 years. The study included 53 pediatricians and analyzed 22,500 prescriptions obtained from electronic medical records (EMR). Results A total of 22,500 pediatric prescriptions were analyzed, out of which 17,370 (77.20%) were single-strain probiotic prescriptions. Among single-strain probiotics, <i>Bacillus clausii</i> (48.57% [8,437/17,370]) was the most prescribed single-strain probiotic that was chosen by the clinician. On the other hand, the most commonly prescribed multi-strain probiotics prescriptions included a combination of <i>Streptococcus faecalis, Clostridium butyricum, Bacillus mesentericus,</i> and <i>Lactobacillus sporogenes</i> (37.85% [1,656/4,375]). Conclusion The study showed a greater preference pattern for single-strain probiotics, particularly Enterogermina among pediatricians.