Effect of Bacterial Infection and Administration of a Probiotic on Faecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids

Abstract

Faecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were determined in children with shigellosis (n=22) or salmonellosis (n=11) prior to treatment and 5 d and 10 d after treatment with an antibacterial drug (TMP-SMX or Polymyxin, 5 d), or Lactobacillus GG (10¹⁰ - 10¹¹ CFU/d, 10 d), or both had been started. At admission the SCFA concentrations were very low. Acetic, propionic and iso-valeric acid were significantly higher in shigellosis than in salmonellosis. The SCFA concentrations increased significantly during treatment, reaching those of adults by the 5th day and exceeding them by the 10th day, and showed no difference between the diseases after the 1st day. Adminsitration of Lactobacillus GG resulted in increased concentration of propionic acid by the 5th day of treatment and difference in iso-caproic acid in the 10th day samples: it was not found in any child who had received Lactobacillus GG but was present in half of the samples from the group treated solely with antibacterial drug. Iso-caproic acid is not found in healthy adults and may be indicative of Clostridium difficile. The disturbances in microbial ecology of the gut in enteric infections may have different characteristics depending on the aetiological agent. Treatment with Lactobacillus GG promotes recovery of the ecosystem as reflected by the faecal SCFAs.

Key Words:

• SCFAs
• diarrhoea
• salmonellosis
• shigellosis