Erythromycin and Probiotics: what the published research says
PubMed indexes 7 records that name Erythromycin and Probiotics together, either in the title or in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context. Each one is listed below with its study design and, where the abstract states one, the authors’ own conclusion, quoted and linked. This page reports that literature. It does not tell you whether to combine them.
Every statement below is attributed to a named, dated, linked source.
This page lists published research relevant to Erythromycin and Probiotics. It deliberately does not state whether the combination is safe, whether it interacts, in which direction, at what dose, or how far apart to take them.
A study appearing here is not proof that an interaction exists. Two substances can be named together in a paper that never tested them in combination, and a source listed as background may cover only one of them.
Findings are quoted from each abstract as the authors wrote them. NutriStack has not re-analysed, pooled, or reconciled them, and they may disagree with each other.
NutriStack’s own interaction assessment for this pair is not published here. It has not completed qualified-human clinical review, so it is withheld from search. See the publication gate.
Nothing here is medical advice. Decisions about prescription medication and supplements belong with your prescriber or pharmacist, who can see your full regimen.
The research
7 studies naming Erythromycin and Probiotics.
Strongest relevance first: papers naming both substances in the title, then human trials and systematic reviews.
International journal of microbiology · 2018 · PMID 30534155
“Thus, in the present study, L. fermentum was not implicated in the spread of erythromycin and tetracycline resistance, but still these strains pose the threat to the environment and human health because they harbored erythromycin and tetracycline resistance genes in their plasmids and therefore should not be used in foods and probiotics.”
Names both Erythromycin and Probiotics in its title.
Applied and environmental microbiology · 2018 · PMID 29500262
Human subjects
“This gene seems to be very uncommon in other bifidobacteria and in the gut microbiomes of both adults and infants. Even though conjugation experiments showed the absence of transferability under in vitro conditions, it has been predicted to be located in a putative genomic island recently acquired by specific bifidobacterial strains.”
Names both Erythromycin and Probiotics in its title.
International journal of food microbiology · 2010 · PMID 20005592
Human subjects
“Since "commensal" bacteria, which L. paracasei belongs to, may play an active role in the spreading of antibiotic resistance, a series of measures inspired from a principle of precaution should be taken before they are used as commercial starters or probiotic cultures in food products, complemented by a more prudent use of antibiotics in agriculture, veterinary, and human medicine.”
Names both Erythromycin and Probiotics in its title.
“The replicon itself is a member of the pC194 family of rolling circle plasmids. The region responsible for erythromycin resistance was 98.2% identical to the erm gene of conjugative transposon Tn1545.”
Names both Erythromycin and Probiotics in its title.
Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics · 1984 · PMID 6708166
Animal study
“Five groups of broiler chickens of different age originating from three farms all possessed an erythromycin-degrading crop flora. In none of these were therapeutic blood levels attained when erythromycin was given in the drinking water.”
Names both Erythromycin and Probiotics in its title.
“As a whole, these data showed that low-fat Cheddar cheese is a viable delivery food for probiotic L. casei because it allowed for good survival during storage and helped protect cells against the very low pH that will be encountered during stomach transit.”
Names Erythromycin and Probiotics together in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context.
Limitations
What this evidence cannot tell you.
Search-based evidence indexes have real limits, and it is worth being explicit about them:
Selection. These records were found by searching PubMed titles and abstracts for both substance names alongside interaction and pharmacokinetic terms. Relevant work that phrases things differently, or is not indexed in PubMed, will be missing.
No effect size. The quoted conclusions are the authors’ words about their own study. We have not extracted effect direction or magnitude, and a single study’s conclusion is not a consensus.
Population mismatch. Findings in healthy volunteers, animals, or a specific patient group may not transfer to you, your dose, or your formulation.
Absence is not safety. Few published studies means the combination is under-studied, which is not the same as established as safe.
Nearby evidence
Other pairs with published research.
Pages covering Erythromycin or Probiotics alongside a different substance.
NutriStack is a free iPhone app for organising a supplement routine: what you take, when, and what the published record says about it. Its exploratory interaction checker covers Erythromycin, Probiotics, and several hundred other substances.
The checker is a research and organisation tool, not a clinical decision aid, and its per-pair assessments are excluded from search until they pass claim-level review.
NutriStack is an informational and organizational tool, not a medical service, and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication.