Fecal Microbiota and Fecal Characteristics of Patients with Severe Motor and Intellectual Disabilities Undergoing Long-Term Tube Feeding

Abstract

Patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID) have chronic constipation and most have gastroesophageal reflux due to severe thoracic deformities and hypertonicity. We studied the fecal microbiota of 12 patients (5 men, 7 women, average age of 35.8 years) with SMID undergoing long-term tube feeding. Comparison with the results of healthy adults in an earlier report (1972) revealed that the bacterial counts were low in total bacteria and all bacterial groups except for Clostridium-other and yeasts, and that Lactobacillus and C. perfringens were not detected in any of the patients. In addition, the feces were slushy and soft, and the fecal pH tended to be alkaline. Furthermore, patients taking oligosaccharide-containing enteral formulas, had a significantly larger portion of Bifidobacterium in their intestinal microbiota.