Probiotics, consisting of live microorganisms meant to enhance health, have sparked growing interest due to their potential in disease prevention and treatment. The probiotic market, worth an estimated US$87.7 billion in 2023 is proving to be quite a profitable industry. However, the tragic case of a preterm infant developing fatal sepsis from a probiotic in 2023 highlighted serious safety concerns, prompting FDA warnings against their use in infants. Research suggests that probiotics may cause more harm than benefits in infants, with minimal microbiome changes but increased illness rates. Regulatory challenges also affect fecal microbiota transplants (FMT), a proven treatment for Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infections, with new FDA-approved products like Rebyota and Vowst being largely unavailable for children. As the field advances, medical professionals emphasize caution, highlighting the potential risks of both probiotics and FMT in vulnerable populations like infants and children.

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[Source: Nature, December 5, 2024.]