Antibiotic-Induced D-Lactic Acidosis

1 June 1995 | Volume 122 Issue 11 | Pages 839-842

Objective: To describe a case of oral antibiotic-induced D-lactic acidosis in a patient with enteric overgrowth of Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Design: Single case study.

Setting: University-affiliated community hospital.

Intervention: Oral carbohydrate challenge test with 4000 kcal/d.

Main Results: A patient had several episodes of D-lactic acidosis after receiving oral antibiotics. Stool cultures yielded Lactobacillus acidophilus resistant to the implicated agents. Provocative challenge with dietary carbohydrate alone, in the absence of antibiotics, failed to reproduce the syndrome.

Conclusions: Oral antibiotics may induce D-lactic acidosis in patients with the short-bowel syndrome by promoting the overgrowth of resistant D-lactate-producing organisms. Interactions between carbohydrate intake and antibiotic use are likely determinants in the development of this syndrome. Periodic use of stool cultures with antimicrobial susceptibility testing may assist in the management of these patients by optimizing the selection of antimicrobial agents.

Author and Article Information

From Brown University, Providence, and Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Acknowledgments: The authors thank Lisa Raymond, MS, RD, and Mildred Smith from Food and Nutrition Services and Roland Tremblay Jr. from Clinical Laboratory Referrals, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, for their technical support.