Effects of paraprobiotic MIMLh5 in the treatment of chronic rhinopharyngitis

BACKGROUND: The treatment of recurrent rhinopharyngitis is mostly symptomatic and based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Mi-HA is a new product based on the dairy strain Lactobacillus helveticus MIMLh5, an inactivated food grade bacterium isolated from Grana Padano cheese, which has immunomodulatory properties and prevents bacterial adhesion to epithelial cells. We retrospectively investigated the effectiveness of Mi-HA to treat recurring rhinopharyngitis. METHODS: Twenty-two adults and 16 children with a history of recurrent rhinopharyngitis (at least three episodes in the year preceding the study) were treated with Mi-HA, one buccal tablet (109 L. helveticus) a day for 90 days. Clinical symptoms were assessed before and after the treatment with a 20-item sino-nasal outcome test questionnaire (SNOT-20) and visual analogue scales (VAS) for nasal obstruction, headache, anosmia, nasopharyngeal drain, sneezing, and cough. Specimens for nasal cytology were collected and inflammation was evaluated by assessing C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and antistreptolysin O titles. In children, the pathogenic bacterial flora was searched in pharynx swabs. RESULTS: Both adult and pediatric patients presented a significant decrease of SNOT-20 and an improvement of VAS scores for all the symptoms assessed but nasopharyngeal drain in adults and headache in children. In nasal swabs the number of muciparous cells and neutrophyls decreased as well as phlogistic indices in the blood. In children the incidence of positive pharyngeal swabs was lower after the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that Mi-HA may be a useful adjunct for the prevention of recurrent upper respiratory tract infections.