Aerobic Bacterial Flora of Small Intestine in Hepatic and Non-hepatic Diseased Patients

Abstract

In order to study the relationship between the hepatic diseases and the aerobic bacterial flora of the small intestine, first, five kinds of small intestinal tubes newly deviced by us were tested and compared with Miller-Abbott tube. Second, the aerobic bacerial flora in small intestinal juice were examined in 23 non-hepatic and 28 hepatic diseased patients, and the changes of the flora in patients with hepatic diseases, liver function tests abnormalities and high values of gastric juice pH were investigated.
The results: 1) A double lumen tube with a rubber cover on the tip deviced by us was the best suited for aspirating the fluid aseptically from the small intestine. The rubber cover was blasted off with the air or saline just before aspiration at the desired site in the small intestine. 2) Aerobic bacterias, especially gram-negative bacilli were more frel uently found in the small intestinal juice of hepatic diseased patients than non-hepatic diseased patients. 3) Gram-negative bacilli were more frequently found in patients with abnormality of liver function tests, especially zinc-sulfate turbidity test, alkaline phosphatase, A/G ratio and thymol turbidity test. 5) The average value of gastric juice pH was higher in hepatic diseased patients than in non-hepatic diseased patients. 6) Gram-negative bacilli were also found more frequently in patients with gastric juice pH higher than 4.