Letter to the Editor: Probiotics counteract polyethylene glycol bowel preparation dysbiosis and infection risk

Figure 1 Schematic diagram illustrating the polyethylene glycol bowel preparation-induced infection window and the protective efficacy of probiotics. Created using the BioRender. The illustration contrasts the biological impact of standard bowel preparation against a probiotic-assisted protocol. The rapid evacuation of luminal content during standard polyethylene glycol preparation leads to dysbiosis and barrier defects, creating a 14-day vulnerability window characterized by impaired colonization resistance and increased pathogen susceptibility. Intervention with Lactobacillus acidophilus restores microbial homeostasis, reinforces the mucosal barrier and prevents pathogen invasion. PEG: Polyethylene glycol; C. difficile: Clostridioides difficile; E. coli: Escherichia coli; L. acidophilus: Lactobacillus acidophilus.