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Volume 32, Number 1—January 2026

Synopsis

Case Series of Bacteremia Associated with Probiotic Use in Children after Cardiac Surgery, China

Xiaofeng Wang1, Shuo Li1, Da Huo1, Chenyu Li1, Qian Zhang, and Xu WangComments to Author 
Author affiliation: National Center for Cardiovascular Disease and Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China (X. Wang, C. Li, Q. Zhang, X. Wang); Peking University First Hospital, Beijing (S. Li); Institute for Infectious Disease and Endemic Disease Control, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing (D. Huo); Capital Medical University School of Public Health, Beijing (D. Huo)

Main Article

Table 2

Infection-related data of 6 patients in study of bacteremia associated with probiotic use in children after cardiac surgery*

Category Patient number
1 2 3 4 5 6
Symptoms of onset
 Fever
 Fever
 Fever
 Fever
 Fever
 Fever + shock
Pathogen
 Bacillus licheniformis
 Bacillis subtilis
 B. subtilis
 B. licheniformis
 B. subtilis
 Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus
Prior antibiotic exposure
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
Concurrent infection
 No
 No
 Burkholderia cepacia (sputum)
 Acinetobacter baumanii (blood)
 No
 No
Leukocyte count, × 109 cells/L
 16.91
 27.34
 13.31
 41.3
 5.89
 26.69
Neutrophils, %
 79.1
 84.9
 90.1
 76.6
 80.2
 77.2
CRP, mg/L
 74.9
 55.1
 23.8
 99.9
 155
 305
CRBSI
 No
 No
 No
 No
 Yes
 No
Probiotic use
 No
 Yes
 No
 Yes
 No
 Yes
Probiotic duration, d
 No
 6
 No
 10
 No
 6
Abdominal distension/diarrhea
 No
 Yes
 No
 Yes
 No
 Yes
Respiratory support during infection
 Mechanical ventilation
 High-flow nasal cannula
 Mechanical ventilation
 Mechanical ventilation
 No
 Mechanical ventilation
VIS during infection
 14
 No
 6
 10
 No
 4
CVC insertion
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
 Yes
Antibiotic
 Imipenem/ cilastatin; vancomycin
 Linezolid; cefoperazone/ sulbactam
 Meropenem
 Meropenem
vancomycin
 Piperacillin/
tazobactam
 Meropenem
Antibiotic duration, d
 10
 12
 10
 10
 7
 12
Outcomes Discharged at 65 dpo Cerebral embolism,
discharged at 136 dpo		 Discharged at 71 dpo Discharged at 153 dpo Discharged at 42 dpo Died 12 d after infection

*CRBSI, catheter-related bloodstream infection; CRP, C-reactive protein; CVC, central venous catheter; dpo, days postoperative; VIS, vasoactive inotropic score.

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: December 13, 2025
Page updated: January 27, 2026
Page reviewed: January 27, 2026
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