Comparison of bacterial flora and enzymatic activity in faeces of infants and calves

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters 2006-05, Vol.258 (1), p.25-28
• Main Authors: Rada, Vojtech, Vlková, Eva, Nevoral, Jirí, Trojanová, Iva
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: alpha-Galactosidase - metabolism; alpha-Glucosidases - metabolism; Animals; Bacteria; Bacteriology; beta-Galactosidase - metabolism; bifidobacterium; Bifidobacterium - isolation & purification; Biological and medical sciences; Breast; Calves; Cattle; Coliforms; Colony Count, Microbial; Cultivation; E coli; Enzymatic activity; faecal flora; Feces; Feces - enzymology; Feces - microbiology; Female; Flora; Fluorescence; Fluorescence in situ hybridization; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Galactosidase; Glucosidase; Humans; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Infants; Lactobacilli; Male; Metabolism. Enzymes; Microbiology; probiotics; Systematics; α-Glucosidase; α‐galactosidase; β‐glucuronidase
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2006.00207.x

Abstract Sixty-four breast-fed infants and 23 calves were investigated for bacteria and enzymatic activity in their faecal samples. The bacteria were measured using cultivation and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Enzymatic activity was also examined. Forty-seven (64%) infants and all the calves had high numbers of bifidobacteria (usually >9 log CFU g−1) in their faeces, but 17 infants (36%) did not have a detectable amount of the bacteria. Most of the bifidobacteria-negative infants had significant quantities of clostridia in their faecal flora. While the infants did not have significantly higher counts of bifidobacteria, the samples from calves contained significantly (P