Effect of the Consumption of a Probiotic Strain on the Prevention of Post-operative Recurrence in Crohn's Disease

Inclusion criteria

• Male/female at least 18 years old
• Diagnosis of Crohn's disease defined by the criteria usually adopted (Gower-Rousseau, 1994)
• Crohn's disease mainly limited to the terminal ileum and/or the ascending and transverse colon
• Diagnosis of Crohn's disease in agreement with surgical specimen analysis
• Patient having given its written consent to take part in the study
• Complete resection of all main macroscopic ileo-colonic lesions, as shown by inspection at surgery
• To have an ileo-colic resection (right, transverse, left) with an anastomosis that can be inspected by endoscopy
• Ability to start oral nutrition and therefore the consumption of the study product within 21 days of surgery
• Patient receiving no antibiotics at the beginning of the product consumption

Exclusion criteria

• One or more intestinal resection during the 5 last years before the last surgery
• Presence of any severe additional disease
• For female patient : pregnancy or breast feeding
• For pre-menopausal female patient : no effective contraceptive methods used (combined oestrogen-progestogen pill or Intrauterine Device)
• Patient currently in an exclusion period following participation in another clinical trial
• Patient in a situation which in the investigator's opinion could interfere with optimal participation in the present study or could constitute a special risk for the patient
• Significant presence of Crohn's disease in other intestinal tracts
• Small bowel cumulative resection exceeding 1 meter
• Patient with ileostomy
• Subtotal colectomy with ileo-rectal anastomosis
• Severe post-operative septic complications (fistula, peritonitis), leading to administration of more than 15 days of post-operative antibiotherapy)
• Intake of unauthorised treatments (mesalazine, olsalazine or sulfasalazine, 5-Aminosalicylates (5-ASA) or 4-Aminosalicylates (4-ASA)) ; corticoïds and immunosuppressors) after surgery except corticoids which will have to be stopped within 6 weeks after surgery according to standardised stepwise dose reductions
• Patient under artificial nutrition
• Subject with a loss of personal liberty, by administrative or judicial decision, or major with a legal guardian