lactobacillus
3 interactions related to lactobacillus
kefir + antibiotics
Antibiotics can kill the live bacteria and yeast in kefir if both are taken at the same time, and dairy calcium can bind certain antibiotics (tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones) and reduce their absorption. Spacing kefir a couple of hours away from each dose addresses both concerns. Note that the broader claim that kefir prevents antibiotic-associated diarrhea is not well supported: the one randomized trial of kefir itself found no benefit.
probiotics + immunosuppressants
In people whose immune systems are pharmacologically suppressed (for example by calcineurin inhibitors, mTOR inhibitors, corticosteroids, or mycophenolate), live probiotic organisms can occasionally cross the gut wall and enter the bloodstream, causing bacteremia, endocarditis, or sepsis. Case reports and a matched case-control study document Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bloodstream infections in transplant and oncology patients, with some strains naturally resistant to first-line antibiotics. The event is uncommon but serious.
lactobacillus + tacrolimus
Tacrolimus is a calcineurin-inhibitor immunosuppressant used after solid-organ transplant. In immunosuppressed transplant recipients, Lactobacillus probiotic organisms can cross the gut wall and cause bloodstream infection. Published case reports document Lactobacillus rhamnosus bacteremia in renal transplant patients on tacrolimus, and many probiotic strains are intrinsically vancomycin-resistant, making treatment harder.