Text Box: CLINICAL OBSERVATION OF PROBIOTICS ON PREVENTING PEDIATRIC INFECTION IN HOSPITAL Lin G Y, Lin D L, Huang W B Department of Pediatrics, Chenghai People¡¯s Hospital, Guandong, China Objective: To evaluate the effect of applying probiotics in pediatric inpatients on preventing infection in hospital. Methods: The inpatients of 1523 cases in the department of pediatrics of our hospital in February 1988, to February 2001, in accord with standard of our investigation, were randomly divided into the preventive group and the control group. The control group was routinely treated according to the basic disease. On the basics of routine treatment the preventive group took (Bifico, a probiotics preparation containing Bifidobacterium, Laclobacillus and S.faecalis) of routine dosage each day during their hospitalization. It was observed that the infection in hospital occurred between two groups. Results: There were 1523 objects of observation in the study, among which 725 cases were from the preventive group and 778 from the control group. The sex, age, constitution of diseases, days in the hospital and the types of antibiotics used did not show significantly difference between the two groups. 37cases (5.10%) had the infection in hospital in the preventive group. 93cases (11.95%) had the infection in hospital in the control group. There was a wide significant difference between the two groups (x2=22.6, p<0.001). Conclusions: If the pediatric inpatients routinely take probiotics, the occurrence of infection in hospital may be significantly decreased. It is related to the mechanisms that robotics can keep the micro ecologic balance in the intestinal tract and raise the immunological function of the intestinal tract as well as the whole body. 1084