erceflora/ bacillus clausii

Brand Name: Erceflora
Classification: Antidiarrheals
Suggested Dose:
Adults 2-3 vials of 2 billion/5 mL susp
Children 2-11 years 1-2 vials of 2 billion/5 mL susp
Infants >1 month 1-2 vials of 2 billion/5 mL susp.
Mode of Action:
Contributes to the recovery of the intestinal microbial flora altered during the course of microbial disorders of diverse origin. It produces various vitamins, particularly group B vitamins thus contributing to correction of vitamin disorders caused by antibiotics & chemotherapeutic agents. Promotes normalization of intestinal flora.
Indication:
Acute diarrhea with duration of ≤14 days due to infection, drugs or poisons. Chronic or persistent diarrhea with duration of >14 days.
Contraindication:
Not for use in immunocompromised patients (cancer patients on chemotherapy, patients taking immunosuppressant meds)
Drug Interaction:
No known drug interactions.
Side Effects/Adverse Reactions:
No known side effects.
Adverse Effects:
No known adverse effects.
Nursing Responsibility:
1.) Shake drug well before administration.
® Allows equal distribution of the drug in the fluid it is in.
2.) Monitor patient for any unusual effects from drug.
® Monitoring allows detection of possible side effects of the drug since there has been no known side effect of the drug.
3.) Administer drug within 30 minutes after opening container.
® To avoid contamination of the drug.
4.) Dilute drug with sweetened milk, orange juice or tea.
® To allow easy administration of the drug.
5.) Administer drug orally.
® Proper administration allows better effects of the drug and prevent possible complications

Bacillus clausii is Gram-positive, motile, spore-forming and like most of the Bacillus bacteria, it is rod-shaped. Colonies of B. clausii form filamentous margins that appear cream-white in color. B. clausii is alkaliphilic and produces a class of subtilisins known as high-alkaline proteases. The protease from Bacillus clausii strain 221, the H-221 protease, was the first enzyme to be identified in an alkaliphilic Bacillus. The alkaliphilic nature of the organism has also proved it to be useful in preventing and treating various gastrointestinal disorders as an oral bacteriotherapy. This organism can be found in many alkaline environments, including soil and marine habitat.
The B. clausii strain KSM-K16 was obtained from soil samples, and its phylogenic position as a member of B. clausii was identified using Bacillus clausii DSM 8716 as a reference strain- also isolated from a soil sample. DSM 8716 was identified as a novel Bacillus species by Nielsen et. all, with unique characteristics detailed in Cell Structure and Metabolism. The techniques used to determine the classification of KSM-K16 included 16S rRNA sequencing, which directly compares two or more strains of rRNA sequences to determine sequence homology- in this case the sequence of KSM-K16 with that of DSM 8716. Other classification techniques including fatty acid analysis, which identifies fatty acids in the membrane, and carbohydrate utilization tests, which establish the metabolic characteristics of the organism. Growth of KSM-K16 was observed in the temperature range of 15-50°C and the pH range of 7-10.5, with optimal growth at 40°C and pH 9.0. The KSM-K16 strain produces the high-alkaline protease, M-protease, which is hyperproduced by a mutant used in industrial scale compact heavy-duty laundry detergent. This protease, among other enzymes used by B. clausii organisms, are being extensively studied to understand their ability to function in such alkaline conditions for possible biotechnology use, making the genome of B. clausii a necessary tool