Abstract
Intestinal microbiota in exclusively breast-fed infants with blood-streaked stools and in healthy exclusively breast-fed babies was compared. Total anaerobes, bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, coliform bacteria, enterococci and clostridia were quantified by cultivation methods in feces of 17 full-term exclusively breastfed patients (aged 16.3 +/- 7.4 weeks) with blood-streaked stools and in the control group of 22 healthy fullterm exclusively breast-fed infants (13.7 +/- 6.4 weeks).
Specific fluorescence in situ hybridization kits for Bifidobacterium spp. were used for the quantitative detection of bifidobacteria in samples. Control samples had significantly (p 8 log CFU/g.
Lactobacilli were not detected in 65 % patients and in 45 % control samples. However, this difference was not significant as well as the difference in lactobacilli counts.
Eosinophilia was observed in 35 % of patients, low IgA concentration in 71 % and also low IgG concentration in 71 %. pANCA positivity was found in 53 % of patients. In conclusion a significant low proportion of bifidobacterial microbiota in patients with blood-streaked stools was shown in comparison with controls.