BACKGROUND: probiotic agents are increasingly used as over the counter drugs for the treatment of a variety of inflammatory and infectious conditions. The rationale of their use seems to restore a friendly bacterial flora in the gut. Complications of probiotic use, although rarely reported, can occur. OBSERVATION: we describe the case of a 54-year-old diabetic woman, who developed Lactobacillus rhamnosus septicemia while she was using probiotic oral treatment. Lactobacillus is a major component of probiotic agents. Her infection resolved after amoxicilline administration. DISCUSSION: this case highlights the complication of probiotic use, and perhaps the patient's predispositions to develop such complications.
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Zein et al. (2008) studied this question.