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Abnormal fecal flora in a patient with short bowel syndrome

Anin vitro study on effect of pH ond-lactic acid production

  • Intestinal Disorders, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Immunology, And Microbiology
  • Published:
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Abstract

d-Lactic acidosis associated with encephalopathy is a clinical condition that occurs in patients with short bowel syndrome. We studied the fecal flora and the composition of fecal water of a child who developed this unusual disorder. Bacteriological studies showed that the patient's stool contained a marked predominance of gram-positive anaerobes. Two strains were identified,Lactobacillus plantarum andLactobacillus salivarius, as the main bacteria isolated. Fecal water showed pH 4.8 and total lactic acid (sum ofl- andd-lactic acids) was the principal organic anion found in the feces. We also incubated the patient's stool in a continuous culture with a view to determining the effect of the pH on the production of volatile fatty acids (VFA) andl- andd-lactic acids. The culture was maintained at pH 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, and 6.5 for four consecutive periods of four days each. We then studied the culture for a further four days at pH 5.0 once again. This study showed that with the progressive rise of the pH from 5.0 to 6.5l- andd-lactic acids decreased and VFA production increased.d-Lactic acid formation was inhibited at pH 6.5, but when the culture was returned to pH 5.0, it increased to a high level again. These results suggest that the pH plays an important role in the ecological changes in the colonic bacteria that result ind-lactic acid production.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Laboratorio de Gastroenterología, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    M. I. Caldarini PhD, S. Pons PhD, D. D'Agostino MD, J. A. Depaula MD, G. Greco PhD, G. Negri PhD, A. Ascione PhD &  D. Bustos PhD

  2. Servicio de Gastroenterologia, Departmento de Pediatría, Hospital Italiano, Argentina

    M. I. Caldarini PhD, S. Pons PhD, D. D'Agostino MD, J. A. Depaula MD, G. Greco PhD, G. Negri PhD, A. Ascione PhD &  D. Bustos PhD

  3. Laboratorio Central, Hospital Italiano, Gascon 450, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    M. I. Caldarini PhD, S. Pons PhD, D. D'Agostino MD, J. A. Depaula MD, G. Greco PhD, G. Negri PhD, A. Ascione PhD &  D. Bustos PhD

Authors
  1. M. I. Caldarini PhD
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  2. S. Pons PhD
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  3. D. D'Agostino MD
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  4. J. A. Depaula MD
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  5. G. Greco PhD
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  6. G. Negri PhD
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  7. A. Ascione PhD
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  8. D. Bustos PhD
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Caldarini, M.I., Pons, S., D'Agostino, D. et al. Abnormal fecal flora in a patient with short bowel syndrome. Digest Dis Sci 41, 1649–1652 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02087915

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02087915

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