Recent research showed the "friendly" probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus plantarum 299 (Lp299) can prevent the most common cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) as effectively as an antiseptic called chlorhexidine (CHX).

The bacterium is found in saliva and also common in fermented foods like pickles and sauerkraut. VAP occurs when pathogenic bacteria from the mouth, throat or breathing tube are inhaled into the lungs. The study was led by Dr Bengt Klarin from the University Hospital in Lund, Sweden.

Researchers randomly assigned fifty critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation machines either oral mechanical cleansing followed by washing with 0.1% CHX solution or to the same cleansing procedure followed by oral application of an emulsion of Lp299. For microbiological examinations, samples were taken from the oropharynx and trachea at inclusion and at defined intervals thereafter.

The study showed that "potentially pathogenic bacteria that were not present at inclusion were identified in oropharyngeal samples from eight of the patients treated with Lp299 and 13 of those treated with CHX (p = 0.13). Analysis of tracheal samples yielded similar results. Lp299 was recovered from the oropharynx of all patients in the Lp299 group."