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PubMed1989

Effects of baking hulless barley on the digestibility of dietary components as measured at the ileum and in the feces in pigs.

The effects of different baking conditions on the apparent digestibility of dietary components were examined in pigs with an ileal cannula. The pigs were fed a hulless barley-based diet that was 1) uncooked, 2) baked for 4 h using high moisture, low temperature (37% dry matter, 121 degrees C) conditions (HMLT), or 3) baked for 1 h using lower moisture, high temperature (48% dry matter, 204 degrees C) conditions (LMHT). Ileal digesta and fecal dry matter were not different between the three diets. Pigs fed the HMLT and LMHT diets had 4% and 2% higher starch digestibility at the ileum, respectively, than did pigs fed the uncooked diet (P less than 0.05). Total Klason lignin recovered at the terminal ileum was similar for all diets even though initial Klason lignin values for the LMHT diet were twice that of the uncooked or HMLT diet. Digestibility of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) as measured at the ileum and in the feces of pigs fed the baked diets was about 10% higher than in pigs fed the uncooked diet (P less than 0.1). The ratio of NSP ileal digestion:NSP digestion as measured in the feces was over 0.75 for all diets. Baking increased digestibility in the barley-based diet by increasing the digestibility of starch and dietary fiber. Increasing the severity of baking (LMHT) tended to decrease digestibility compared to the mild baking (HMLT), but not significantly.

Absorption↗

PubMed2002

Total N-nitroso compounds and their precursors in hot dogs and in the gastrointestinal tract and feces of rats and mice: possible etiologic agents for colon cancer.

We review evidence that red and processed meat are causes of colon cancer and that processed meat is a risk factor for childhood cancer and type 2 diabetes. Associations could be due to N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) derived from nitrosation of NOC precursors (NOCPs). We review our survey of total NOC and NOCP content of foods. Only rapidly nitrosated amines, including a glycosyl amino acid, were efficiently determined as NOCPs. NOCPs in hot dogs and rat feces were partly purified by adsorption-desorption and HPLC. After nitrosation, purified hot dog fractions were directly mutagenic in Ames test. The main NOCPs in these materials may be N-glycosyl amino acids and peptides. NOC levels in rat gastrointestinal tract rose steadily from stomach to feces. NOCP levels showed similar trend but with sharp increases from stomach to duodenum. One day after Min and C57BL/6J mice were fed 4% dextran sulfate sodium to induce acute colitis, fecal NOC levels increased 1.9-fold compared with untreated mice (P < 0.05). For 7 d Swiss mice received semipurified diet, 180 g beef-pork hot dogs mixed with 820 g diet or 180 g sautéed beef mixed with 820 g diet. Fecal NOC outputs on day 7 were 3.7-5.0 (hot dog) and 2.0-2.9 (beef) times those for control groups (P < 0.002 for combined groups), perhaps reflecting higher dietary NOC intakes. Feeding a similar hot dog mixture to mice did not affect normal 7-methyldeoxyguanosine level in colonic mucosal DNA. Overall, results support the hypothesis that colonic NOCs are a cause of colon cancer.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Excreted steroids in primate feces over the menstrual cycle and pregnancy.

Techniques were established for the extraction and measurement of 17 beta-estradiol (E2) and progestins (P4) from feces of Old World primates. Studies were conducted to show the sensitivity of these measures, means of preserving fecal samples in the field, effects of urinary contamination, and means to eliminate these effects. Our results show that excreted steroid measures can be used to distinguish between mid-follicular and luteal phases in the menstrual cycle, and to identify pregnancy by Day 20 of gestation; the steroid measures can also be used to identify ovulatory levels of E2 and to establish the length of the menstrual cycle. Urine was shown to contaminate the fecal sample and to confound the estimate of steroid levels in feces; prolonged storage (less than 6 h) was shown to change the steroid estimate. Both urinary contamination and storage-dependent changes were eliminated by the addition of ethanol to the sample. Preliminary results also suggest that effects of dietary fiber on steroid hormone levels are minimal when controlled quantitatively by adjusting for water content of the fecal sample. We conclude that these measurements of excreted steroids provide a valid, noninvasive measure of physiological state of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis among free-ranging animals in the field.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Simple extraction and enzyme immunoassays for estrogen and progesterone metabolites in the feces of Macaca fascicularis during non-conceptive and conceptive ovarian cycles.

A simple method for extracting ovarian steroids from feces is presented, together with enzyme immunoassay systems for measuring estrogen and progesterone metabolites. Small amounts of feces were combined in a 1:10 proportion with a modified phosphate buffer, shaken for 24 h, centrifuged, and decanted; the supernatant was directly measured for estrogen and progesterone metabolites by enzyme immunoassays. Serum estradiol and progesterone profiles were compared to urinary and fecal profiles in the same animals to determine the degree to which each reflected the ovarian events detectable in serum. The correlation coefficients for the relationship between serum, urinary, and fecal hormones for individual animal cycles were found to be statistically significant in every case but one, where the relationship between serum estradiol and urinary estrone conjugates was not significant. Urinary and fecal measurements were used to determine whether estrogen and progesterone metabolism and excretion varied within and between animals. Variation in unconjugated estrogen and progesterone metabolites was observed in the follicular phase, the luteal phase, and early pregnancy.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Thorium excretion in feces by mineral sands workers.

An attempt has been made to correlate the thorium excreted in the feces of two male workers in the monazite section of a mineral sands dry separation plant over a ten-day period with personal air sampling measurements. The air-borne radioactivity was measured on a daily basis using a total (inspirable) dust filter, an integrating personal dosimeter, and a personal cascade impactor. The thorium content of the feces was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results suggest that thorium fecal analyses are able to detect acute and chronic exposures to the inhalation of thorium bearing dusts and to confirm the amount of inhaled thorium predicted from air sampling programs and metabolic models.

Administration, Inhalation↗

PubMed1992

Inhibition of adhesion of S-fimbriated Escherichia coli to epithelial cells by meconium and feces of breast-fed and formula-fed newborns: mucins are the major inhibitory component.

We investigated the ability of meconium, feces from human milk-fed (HMF) newborns, and feces from formula-fed (FF) newborns to inhibit adhesion of S-fimbriated E. coli to human buccal epithelial cells. S-fimbriae are a common property of E. coli strains causing sepsis and meningitis in neonates. Meconium had the highest content of neuraminic acid and the strongest inhibitory effect on bacterial adhesion. HMF also exerted high inhibitory activity while FF was markedly less active: To achieve inhibitory effects comparable to HMF a sixfold amount of FF was required. Glycoproteins from excretions were separated by gel chromatography. Fractions obtained were analyzed for adhesion-inhibiting activity. In all excretions analyzed, the mucin-containing fraction could be identified as the major inhibitory component. Inhibition was probably mediated by specific interaction of this fraction with S-fimbriae, as shown by binding of isolated fimbriae on Western blots after electrophoretic separation of glycoproteins. In conclusion, our data support the view that the mucin-containing fraction from meconium and human milk exerts antibacterial functions by preventing adhesin-mediated binding of pathogenic bacteria to mucosal epithelia.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Comparison of 4 neutrophil-derived proteins in feces as indicators of disease activity in ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the diagnostic use of fecal concentrations of lactoferrin (Lf), calprotectin (Cal), polymorphonuclear neutrophil-elastase (PMN-e), and lysozyme (Lys) as indicators of disease activity in patients with active and inactive ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: A total of 76 fecal specimens were collected from 31 patients with UC in times of active and inactive status of disease. Disease activity was determined with the colitis activity index (CAI; Rachmilewitz index), which includes a combination of laboratory parameters and clinical symptoms, with a score of at least 6 indicating active disease. Fecal Lf, Cal, PMN-e, and Lys were measured and reported as micrograms per milliliter feces. Levels of more than 7.25, more than 6.00, at least 0.062, and at least 0.6 for Lf, Cal, PMN-e, and Lys, respectively, were considered elevated as specified by the manufacturers. RESULTS: Based on the CAI classification, 25 of the samples were from patients with active disease status and 51 were from patients with inactive status. Lf, PMN-e, and Cal but not Lys showed increased levels in samples from patients in active disease compared with those in remission (median for Lf: 28.12 +/- 110.86 versus 179.54 +/- 334.09, P < 0.001; median for Cal: 15.13 +/- 30.27 versus 116.23 +/- 182.29, P < 0.001; median for PMN-e: 0.21 +/- 0.44 versus 1.02 +/- 0.89, P < 0.001; median for Lys: 1.54 +/- 2.39 versus 3.75 +/- 5.39, P > 0.05). All 4 parameters correlated with the CAI (Lf: r = 0.441, P < 0.001; Cal: r = 0.505, P < 0.001; PMN-e: r = 0.604, P < 0.001; Lys: r = 0.295, P < 0.05). Introducing a composite index based on Lf, Cal, and PMN-e, the specificity was 72.5% and the sensitivity 88% compared with the CAI. CONCLUSIONS: Among the neutrophil-derived proteins in feces, PMN-e, Cal, and Lf represent useful markers of disease activity in patients with UC. Using all 3 markers in a composite index may be an additional noninvasive tool for the management of ambulant patients with UC.

Adult↗

PubMed1981

Isolation of Clostridium difficile from the feces and the antibody in sera of young and elderly adults.

Attempts were made to isolate Clostridium difficile from a total of 431 fecal specimens from 149 young and 213 elderly healthy adults, and 69 elderly adults with cerebrovascular disease but no gastrointestinal disease. C difficile was isolated from 49 specimens, and the frequency of isolation was 15.4% in healthy young adults, 7.0% in healthy elderly adults, and 15.9% in elderly adults with cerebrovascular disease. Thirty-four (about 70%) of the 49 C. difficile strains isolated produced cytotoxin which was neutralized by Clostridium sordellii antitoxin in vitro; in both young and elderly adults approximately 30% of the C. difficile isolates were nontoxigenic. The mean concentration of C. difficile in feces was 10(4.1)/g in young adults and 10(4.6)/g in elderly adults, with a range of 10(2.0) to 10(6.9)/g. Antibody against C. difficile toxin was found in most of the sera obtained from young adults carrying toxigenic C. difficile, but not in sera of elderly adults, no matter how abundant was toxigenic C. difficile in the feces.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Detection and quantification of four species of the genus Clostridium in infant feces.

To determine the composition of Clostridium in the feces of infants approximately 30 days old, we have developed a detection and quantification method of Clostridium paraputrificum, Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium tertium, and Clostridium difficile by species-specific primers. C. perfringens and C. difficile were detected in four fecal samples from 22 infants (18.2%), whereas C. paraputrificum was detected in three samples (16.7%). C. tertium was detected in two samples (9.1%). Moreover, the occurrences of the four species in bottle-and mix-fed infants were relatively higher than in breast-fed infants (P< 0.05). Subsequently, positive samples detected by nested PCR (polymerase chain reaction) were subjected to realtime PCR. The results showed that the numbers of C. paraputrificum, C. perfringens, C. tertium, and C. difficile ranged from about 1x10(5) to 3x10(7) cells/g wet feces.

Bottle Feeding↗

PubMed1990

Characterization of carcinoembryonic antigen-related antigens in normal adult feces.

About 50-70 mg in total of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) (or CEA-related antigens) was detected in normal adult feces evacuated during one day (200-250 g). Ten percent or less of the antigen was found to be in soluble form in fresh feces (naturally solubilized antigen), while 90% or more was still in membrane-bound form which was releasable with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC-solubilized antigen). The naturally solubilized and PI-PLC-solubilized antigens are antigenically different from each other and similar to normal fecal antigen (NFA)-2 and CEA, respectively, suggesting that "CEA-distinctive" antigenicity detected so far in CEA from cancerous tissues is not due to the difference between antigens in normal and malignant tissues but is probably due to the presence of the glycosylinositolphosphate moiety at the carboxyl-terminus of the antigen molecule. Thus, "CEA-distinctive" antigenicity is by no means cancer-specific, but this antigenicity seems to be critical for the clinical significance of CEA as a tumor marker, because an assay system (Kit II) which is able to distinguish CEA from NFA-2 revealed much improved features in cancer diagnosis as reported recently.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Measurement of endotoxic activity in feces of normal horses.

Two chromogenic Limulus amebocyte lysate systems were evaluated for the measurement of endotoxic activity in feces of normal horses. Fecal extracts had neither non-specific nor inhibitory effect on the test reaction, and the two systems with different specificity showed equivalent results. Endotoxic activities in feces of healthy horses averaged 5.7 +/- 2.8 microns/g wet weight. Correlation between the endotoxin levels and the fecal microbial flora could not be determined.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Etiologic factors in diaper dermatitis: the role of feces.

While the etiology of diaper dermatitis in infants is complex, it is generally believed to involve an interaction between skin and irritants in feces and urine. Proteases and lipases were identified as the major irritants in the feces of infants, and bile salts were found to potentiate the damage produced by the action of fecal enzymes on skin. Fecal enzymes also increased the permeability of skin, thereby increasing potential susceptibility to other irritants in the diaper environment.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

The establishment of some microflora associated biochemical characteristics in feces from children during the first years of life.

This report presents a new approach to the study of the colonization of the digestive tract after birth. We have examined the development of four microflora associated characteristics, MACs, defined as the recording of any anatomical structure, biochemical or physiological function in the macroorganism, which has been influenced by the microflora. These MACs may create a basis for later investigations into the impact of diarrheal diseases and antibiotic therapy. The following biochemical characteristics were studied in feces from children of 0-61 months of age: conversion of cholesterol to coprostanol and bilirubin to urobilins, inactivation of trypsin and degradation of mucin. These results indicate establishment of microbes capable of converting bilirubin to urobilins within the second year of life. The mucin degrading and cholesterol converting microbes are established in most of the children during the same period. Tryptic activity was found to be absent in meconium, present in feces from all children up to 21 months of age, and absent in 6 out of 15 children in the age group 46-61 months. The study indicates that the establishment of the MACs in the digestive tract is a remarkably long drawn out process.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1997

[Rapid detection of Shiga-like toxin gene in feces with rapid-cycle polymerase chain reaction].

A rapid detection for Shiga-like toxin in feces was developed with the nucleic acid extraction method by silicondioxide-guanidine thiothianate and rapid-cycle polymerase chain reaction by RapidCycler (model 1002; Idaho Technology, RC-PCR here after). Twenty-two fecal samples that were collected from patients with diarrhoea caused by E. coli O157:H7 and frozen for 6 months were examined directly by RC-PCR, conventional PCR assay using by ThermalCycler 9600-R (Roche, TC-PCR here after) and by the culture method using tellurite-cefixime sorbitol MacConkey (direct method). These examinations were done also after being injected into TCV-TSB and incutated at 35 degrees C overnight (indirect method). The sensitivity of RC-PCR and TC-PCR using a diluted suspension of broth enriched at 35 degrees C overnight were 4.1 pg and 410 fg, respectively. Positive results in the direct method were obtained in 7 for RC-PCR, 10 for TC-PCR and 5 for culture. Positive results on indirect assay were obtained in 9 for RC-PCR, 9 for TC-PCR and 7 for culture. It was demonstrated that the RC-PCR assay was able to detect Shiga-like toxin gene in feces in less than 90 minutes after being received at the laboratory.

Bacterial Toxins↗

PubMed1973

Sarcocystis in mice inoculated with toxoplasma-like oocysts from cat feces.

Sarcocysts morphologically similar to Sarcocystis muris were observed in mice after inoculation with Toxoplasma-like oocysts found in feces of a stray cat. Cats that were fed mice infected with the oocysts shed similar oocysts in their feces. Sarcocysts were found histologically in about 50 percent of mice inoculated with 40,000 or more oocysts and examined 42 days or longer after exposure. Most inoculated mice developed low Toxoplasma dye-test antibody titers 3 to 4 weeks after exposure, but Toxoplasma antibody was usually not detectable in infected cats.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Recovery of pefloxacin in saliva and feces and its action on oral and fecal floras of healthy volunteers.

Pefloxacin, a new fluoroquinolone, was given to 10 volunteers in single 400-mg oral doses repeated at 12-h intervals during 7 days. Serum, saliva, and feces samples were collected before and at appropriate intervals after the initiation of treatment. Drug concentrations were determined by bioassay. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the saliva and fecal floras were performed. Mean concentrations in saliva (3.46 micrograms/ml on day 1 and 7.54 micrograms/ml on day 7) were closely related to levels in serum. High concentrations of pefloxacin were found in the feces (645 micrograms/g on day 8). No modification of oral flora was observed. In the fecal flora, members of the family Enterobacteriaceae were eliminated between days 2 and 8. The alterations in streptococci and anaerobic flora were not significant; Bacteroides fragilis was more resistant to pefloxacin after treatment. Clostridium difficile was not detected, and there was no overgrowth by yeasts. No side effects were observed.

Bacteria↗

PubMed2005

Comparison of three PCR primer sets for identification of vanB gene carriage in feces and correlation with carriage of vancomycin-resistant enterococci: interference by vanB-containing anaerobic bacilli.

We assessed the sensitivities and specificities of three previously described PCR primers on enrichment broth cultures of feces for the accurate detection of fecal carriage of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). In addition, we investigated specimens that were vanB PCR positive but VRE culture negative for the presence of other vanB-containing pathogens. Feces from 59 patients (12 patients carrying vanB Enterococcus faecium strains and 47 patients negative for VRE carriage) were cultured for 36 h in aerobic brain heart infusion (BHI) broth, anaerobic BHI (AnO(2)BHI) broth, or aerobic Enterococcosel (EC) broth. DNA was extracted from the cultures and tested for the presence of vanB by using the PCR primers of Dutka-Malen et al. (S. Dutka-Malen, S. Evers, and P. Courvalin, J. Clin. Microbiol. 33:24-27, 1995), Bell et al. (J. M. Bell, J. C. Paton, and J. Turnidge, J. Clin. Microbiol. 36:2187-2190, 1998), and Stinear et al. (T. P. Stinear, D. C. Olden, P. D. R. Johnson, J. K. Davies, and M. L. Grayson, Lancet 357:855-856, 2001). The sensitivity (specificity) of PCR compared with the results of culture on BHI, AnO(2)BHI, and EC broths were 67% (96%), 50% (94%), and 17% (100%), respectively, with the primers of Dutka-Malen et al.; 92% (60%), 92% (45%), and 92% (83%), respectively, with the primers of Bell et al.; and 92% (49%), 92% (43%), and 100% (51%) respectively, with the primers of Stinear et al. The primers of both Bell et al. and Stinear et al. were significantly more sensitive than those of Dutka-Malen et al. in EC broth (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). The poor specificities for all primer pairs were due in part to the isolation and identification of six anaerobic gram-positive bacilli, Clostridium hathewayi (n = 3), a Clostridium innocuum-like organism (n = 1), Clostridium bolteae (n = 1), and Ruminococcus lactaris-like (n = 1), from five fecal specimens that were vanB positive but VRE culture negative. All six organisms were demonstrated to contain a vanB gene identical to that of VRE. VanB-containing bowel anaerobes may result in false-positive interpretation of PCR-positive fecal enrichment cultures as VRE, regardless of the primers and protocols used.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗

PubMed2006

Pheromone-responsive conjugative vancomycin resistance plasmids in Enterococcus faecalis isolates from humans and chicken feces.

The drug resistances and plasmid contents of a total of 85 vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) strains that had been isolated in Korea were examined. Fifty-four of the strains originated from samples of chicken feces, and 31 were isolated from hospital patients in Korea. Enterococcus faecalis KV1 and KV2, which had been isolated from a patient and a sample of chicken feces, respectively, were found to carry the plasmids pSL1 and pSL2, respectively. The plasmids transferred resistances to vancomycin, gentamicin, kanamycin, streptomycin, and erythromycin to E. faecalis strains at a high frequency of about 10(-3) per donor cell during 4 hours of broth mating. E. faecalis strains containing each of the pSL plasmids formed clumps after 2 hours of incubation in broth containing E. faecalis FA2-2 culture filtrate (i.e., the E. faecalis sex pheromone), and the plasmid subsequently transferred to the recipient strain in a 10-min short mating in broth, indicating that the plasmids are responsive to E. faecalis pheromones. The pSL plasmids did not respond to any of synthetic pheromones for the previously characterized plasmids. The pheromone specific for pSL plasmids has been designated cSL1. Southern hybridization analysis showed that specific FspI fragments from each of the pSL plasmids hybridized with the aggregation substance gene (asa1) of the pheromone-responsive plasmid pAD1, indicating that the plasmids had a gene homologous to asa1. The restriction maps of the plasmids were identical, and the size of the plasmids was estimated to be 128.1 kb. The plasmids carried five drug resistance determinants for vanA, ermB, aph(3'), aph(6'), and aac(6')/aph(2'), which encode resistance to vancomycin, erythromycin, kanamycin, streptomycin, and gentamicin/kanamycin, respectively. Nucleotide sequence analyses of the drug resistance determinants and their flanking regions are described in this report. The results described provide evidence for the exchange of genetic information between human and animal (chicken) VRE reservoirs and suggest the potential for horizontal transmission of multiple drug resistance, including vancomycin resistance, between farm animals and humans via a pheromone-responsive conjugative plasmid.

Animals↗