Safety of VSL#3 in Adult Asthmatics

This is an interventional treatment trial for Asthma focused on measuring Asthma, Probiotic, VSL#3 Read More

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Adults age 18-64 years old.
2. Doctor diagnosis of mild persistent asthma. Persistent asthma is defined by NAEPP guidelines as asthma symptoms (cough/wheeze/dyspnea/exercise limitation)of greater than 2 times/week daytime or greater than 2 times/month at night over the previous month but less than continual and less than 5 nights/week.
3. FEV1 greater than 60% predicted for age/gender/race/height based on normative data.
4. No unscheduled asthma related health visit in the 1 month prior to enrollment
5. School or work days missed less than or equal to 2 in the previous month for asthma.
6. Albuterol use less than 8 doses (2 puffs or one neb) in past week.
7. Ability to speak and understand English.
8. Telephone access.
9. Women of childbearing potential must confirm that they will use birth control while in the study and have a negative urine pregnancy screen at baseline.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnant women, prisoners.
2. Chronic illness (other than asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema) such as renal disease, diabetes, hypertension or terminal disease or abnormal vital signs: T> 100.3F, HR>130 bpm, SBP>155 mmHg, or DBP>100 mmHg, RR>25 bpm, or pox<93% room air.
3. Unable to perform spirometry, necessary for lung function assessment.
4. Received probiotic in past 6 months.
5. Subject or household member has immunosuppression such as HIV, history of organ transplantation, present cancer or chemotherapy, primary immune disease, or is taking an immune modulating drug.
6. Severe persistent asthmatics who have continual daily or frequent (greater than 5 nights/week) asthma symptoms and/or FEV1 less than 60% predicted .
7. Diarrhea or constipation (symptoms more than once in the past week)
8. Unable to feed orally or to consume cornstarch
9. Lung disease other than asthma (e.g. COPD, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease).
10. Subjects at increased risk of developing infective endocarditis such as those with a history of cardiac surgery, IV drug abuse, recent invasive medical procedures or dental work (recent = last month).
11. Allergy to Vancomycin or Cefepime. The parameters of intestinal barrier function, intestinal flora, serum inflammatory cytokines, IgE, will have no exclusion ranges as these will be collected over time on product as a way of describing the population characteristics of study participants.