Advances in Urology
Volume 2009 (2009), Article ID 680363, 5 pages
doi:10.1155/2009/680363
Case Report

Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 May Help Downregulate TNF-Alpha, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and IL-12 (p70) in the Neurogenic Bladder of Spinal Cord Injured Patient with Urinary Tract Infections: A Two-Case Study

Kingsley C. Anukam,1,2 Keith Hayes,3 Kelly Summers,2 and Gregor Reid1,2

1Canadian Research and Development Centre for Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, N6A 4V2, Canada
2Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada
3Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada

Received 22 September 2008; Revised 6 April 2009; Accepted 6 May 2009

Academic Editor: Flavio Trigo Rocha

Copyright © 2009 Kingsley C. Anukam et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The management of urinary tract infection (UTI) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) continues to be of concern, due to complications that can occur. An emerging concept that is a common underlying pathophysiological process is involved, wherein pathogens causing UTI have a role in inflammatory progression. We hypothesized that members of the commensal flora, such as lactobacilli, may counter this reaction through anti-inflammatory mediation. This was assessed in a pilot two-patient study in which probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri were administered to one patient and placebo to another, both along with antibiotics to treat acute UTI. Urinary TNF-alpha was significantly downregulated (P=.015) in the patient who received the probiotic and who used intermittent catheterization compared with patient on placebo and using an indwelling catheter. The extent to which this alteration resulted in improved well-being in spinal cord injured patients remains to be determined in a larger study.