A Review of Research Conducted with Probiotic E. coli Marketed as Symbioflor

Table 1

Characteristics of Symbioflor 2® containing live, probiotic E. coli.

Commercial product	Symbioflor 2 is a suspension of live E. coli bacteria for oral intake. The suspension is sold in glass bottles with a drop-release cap. In Germany it is sold over the counter by pharmacists exclusively, but the product is internationally offered online.
Bacteria	Six E. coli genotypes.
Content	1.5 to 4.5 × 10^7 viable bacteria per mL, 50 mL per product unit.
Recommended daily dose	Adults: 3 times daily 10 drops (2 mL) for 1 week and then 3 times daily 20 drops, to be taken with a meal. This corresponds to a daily dose of 6.8–18 × 10^7 CFU.
	Maximum duration: 6 months.
	Children: daily 10 drops; infants: daily 5 drops.
Maximum daily dose	18 × 10^7 CFU (60 drops).
E. coli genotypes composition	The suspension contains 20% strain G1/2 (DSM 16441), 20% G3/10 (DSM 16443), 20% G4/9 (DSM 16444), 10% G5 (DSM 16445), 20% G6/7 (DSM 16446), and 10% G8 (DSM 16448).