Fecal flora measurements of breastfed infants using an integrated transport and culturing system

It is generally recognized that bacterial colonization of the intestine with indigenous flora is an important component in development of the intestinal mucosal barrier function in the human infant. There is accumulating evidence that the intestinal flora plays an important role in the postnatal development of the immune system and promotes the absorption of nutrients in the colon. As a consequence, the artificial manipulation of the intestinal ecosystem by including pre- or probiotics in feeding formulas to generate a predominantly bifidobacterial flora even in bottle-fed infants has been attempted. Detailed knowledge of the microbial ecology of the human colon is essential to obtain reliable information on the effects of pre- or probiotics and on the influence of diet on the intestinal microflora. (...) We therefore studied an integrated system of stool sampling, transporting and culturing in order to investigate the number of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in stool samples of infants of up to 3 mo of age.