The team, led by Professor Stephen Allen, has been shortlisted in the UK Research Paper of the Year category in the annual awards, dubbed the medical “Oscars”, that recognise UK-based teams who have made a positive impact on healthcare both at home and internationally.

Research by the team found no evidence that probiotics – so-called ‘healthy’ bacteria – reduced the risk of diarrhoea in older patients being treated with antibiotics in hospital. Earlier studies had raised hopes that taking probiotics might prevent diarrhoea, including that linked to the superbug C. difficile. But the PLACIDE clinical trial of nearly 3,000 patients in five hospitals, published in The Lancet, found no health benefits from taking probiotics.

Stephen Allen is Professor of Paediatrics and International Health at Swansea University and is based at the medical college’s Institute of Life Science. He said: “We are delighted that this research has been shortlisted for the BMJ awards. We think that PLACIDE is the largest clinical trial of probiotics ever undertaken. Using probiotics to prevent diarrhoea was becoming common practice; our findings should now discourage this and prevent unnecessary expense.”

Commenting on the research, Professor Keith Lloyd, Dean and Head of the College of Medicine at Swansea University said: "Congratulations to Professor Allen and colleagues for being shortlisted for this very prestigious award. This high quality study is typical of the excellent research being undertaken in Swansea University's College of Medicine - studies that make a real difference to human health and well-being."

This year, the BMJ have whittled 400 entries down to just 59 finalists across 12 categories. Fiona Godlee, The BMJ’s Editor in Chief, said: “The BMJ is always striving to improve healthcare; for the 2014 awards we are looking to reward those unsung heroes who have taken their initiatives that one step further.”

The winners will be announced at a ceremony held at the Park Plaza Hotel, Westminster, on Thursday 8^th May 2014.

For a full list of award categories, sponsor and judges: http://thebmjawards.bmj.com/