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Does probiotic milk prevent infections in children attending daycare centres?

Mark G Coulthard and Craig M Mellis
Med J Aust 2004; 181 (10): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06446.x
Published online: 15 November 2004

Trial: Hatakka K, Savilahti E, Pönkä A, et al. Effect of long term consumption of probiotic milk on infections in children attending day care centres: double blind, randomised trial. BMJ 2001; 322: 1327-1329.

In children attending daycare centres (population), does long term consumption of probiotic milk (intervention) prevent infections (outcome)?


  • 1 Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Royal Children’s Hospital, Brisbane, QLD.
  • 2 School of Medicine, Bond University, Gold Coast, QLD.


Correspondence: 

Competing interests:

None identified.

  • 1. Wald ER, Guerra N, Byers C. Frequency and severity of infections in day care: three-year follow-up. J Pediatr 1991; 118: 509-514.
  • 2. Carabin H, Gyorkos TW, Soto JC. et al. Estimation of direct and indirect costs because of common infections in toddlers attending day care centers. Pediatrics 1999; 103: 556-564.
  • 3. Arvola T, Laiho K, Torkkeli S, et al. Prophylactic Lactobacillus GG reduces antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in children with respiratory infections: a randomized study. Pediatrics 1999; 104: e64.
  • 4. D’Souza AL, Rajkumar C, Cooke J, Bulpitt CJ. Probiotics in prevention of antibiotic associated diarrhoea: meta-analysis. BMJ 2002; 324: 1361-1364.
  • 5. Van Niel CW, Feudtner C, Garrison MM, Christakis DA. Lactobacillus therapy for acute infectious diarrhoea in children: meta-analysis. Pediatrics 2002; 109: 678-684.
  • 6. Hatakka K, Savilahti E, Pönkä A, et al. Effect of long term consumption of probiotic milk on infections in children attending day care centres: double blind, randomized trial. BMJ 2001; 322: 1327-1329.
  • 7. Wanke CA. Do probiotics prevent childhood illness? [editorial]. BMJ 2001; 322: 1318-1319.

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