A mixture of Escherichia coli (DSM 17252) and Enterococcus faecalis (DSM 16440) for treatment of the irritable bowel syndrome – A randomized controlled trial with primary care physicians

Abstract Therapy trials with bacterial compounds in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have produced conflicting results. This study was performed in 1988 and 1989, and was re‐analysed according to current IBS standards. Two hundred ninety‐seven patients with lower abdominal symptoms diagnosed as IBS were treated for 8 weeks by the compound ProSymbioflor^® (Symbiopharm GmbH, Herborn, Germany), an autolysate of cells and cell fragments of Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli, or placebo in a double‐blinded, randomized fashion. Patients were seen weekly by the physician, who assessed the presence of core IBS symptoms. Responders had at least a 50% decrease in global symptom score (GSS) and in abdominal pain score (APS) reports at ≥1 visit during treatment. The responder rate in GSS to the drug was 102/149 (68.5%) in comparison to placebo with 56/148 (37.8%) (P < 0.001), the improvement in APS was 108/149 (72.5%) and 66/148 (44.6%) respectively (P = 0.001). The number‐needed‐to‐treat was 3.27 for GSS and 3.59 for the APS report. Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed a mean response time of 4–5 weeks for active treatment and more than 8 weeks for placebo (P < 0.0001). Treatment of IBS with the bacterial lysate ProSymbioflor is effective and superior to placebo in reducing typical symptoms of IBS patients seen by general practitioners.