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PubMed1998

Feces, flies, and fetor: findings from a Peruvian shantytown.

Sanitary disposal of feces is vital to combat childhood diarrhea, and its promotion is key to improving health in developing countries. Knowledge of prevailing feces disposal practices is a prerequisite to formulation of effective intervention strategies. Two studies were conducted in a shantytown area of Lima, Peru. First, information was gathered through in-depth interviews with mothers and structured observations (4 hours) of young children and their caretakers. Data on beliefs and practices related to feces disposal behaviors were obtained. Excreta were deposited by animals or humans in or near the house in 82% of households observed. Beliefs about feces depended on their source and were reflected in how likely the feces were to be cleared. While 22% of children aged > or = 18 months were observed to use a potty for defecation, 48% defecated on the ground where the stools often remained. Although almost all children were cleaned after defecation, 30% retained some fecal matter on their body or clothes. Handwashing after the child's defecation was extremely rare for both children (5%) and caretakers (20%). The hygienic disposal of feces poses problems in this type of community. Nevertheless existing practices were found that show promise for promotion on a wider scale, including greater use of potties.

Feces↗
PubMed2006

Moisture and mineral content of human feces--high fecal moisture is associated with increased sodium and decreased potassium content--.

BACKGROUND: The origin of moisture in diarrhea feces is unknown but may represent the unabsorbed part of intestinal contents or alternatively, body fluid excreted into the digestive canal. If the latter mechanism contributes to moisture in the feces, active transport of water (H2O) associated with ion exchange channels may be involved. OBJECTIVE: To investigate this possibility we measured the content of moisture and minerals (sodium [Na], potassium [K], calcium [Ca], magnesium [Mg], phosphorus [P], zinc [Zn], iron [Fe], copper [Cu] and manganese [Mn]) in feces collected during a 12-d metabolic study on 11 young Japanese female students. DESIGN: The study was carried out as part of a human mineral balance study. The same quantity of food was supplied to each of the subjects throughout the study without consideration of body weight. Fecal specimens were collected throughout the study and were separated into those originating from the diet during the balance period based on the appearance of the ingested colored marker in the feces. RESULTS: The moisture content of the feces ranged between 53 and 92%. Na content in the feces was low and stable when the moisture content was below 80%, whereas it increased up to serum levels when the moisture content increased above 80%. On the other hand, K content increased when compared to dry matter base. However, when comparing concentration/g moisture, K content increased when moisture was below 70%, but decreased when this rose above 70%.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Prevalence of Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin and Clostridium difficile toxin A in feces of horses with diarrhea and colic.

OBJECTIVE: To determine prevalence of clostridial enterotoxins in feces of horses with diarrhea and colic, and to determine whether an association exists between detection of clostridial enterotoxins in feces and development of diarrhea as a complication of colic. DESIGN: Prospective case series and case-control study. ANIMALS: 174 horses with diarrhea, colic, or problems not related to the gastrointestinal tract. PROCEDURE: Horses were assigned to 1 of 4 groups: colic with diarrhea (group 1; n = 30); colic without diarrhea (group 2; 30); diarrhea without colic (group 3; 57); and control (group 4; 57). Feces were evaluated by use of ELISA to detect Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) and C difficile toxin A (TOXA). Frequency of detection of CPE or TOXA in groups 1 and 3 was compared with that in groups 2 and 4, respectively. RESULTS: Prevalence of enteric clostridiosis in horses in group 3 was 25%. Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin was detected in 9 of 57 (16%), TOXA in 8 of 57 (14%), and both toxins in 3 of 57 (5%) fecal samples collected from these horses. Neither toxin was detected in feces of the age-matched horses in group 4. Clostridial enterotoxins were detected in feces of 7 of 60 (12%) horses with colic (groups 1 and 2), however, a significant association was not found between detection of enterotoxins in feces and development of diarrhea as a complication of colic. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Clostridia are important etiologic agents of diarrhea in horses. Additionally, changes in intestinal flora of horses with colic may allow for proliferation of clostridia and elaboration of enterotoxins regardless of whether diarrhea develops.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Isotype-specific antibody responses to bovine coronavirus structural proteins in serum, feces, and mucosal secretions from experimentally challenge-exposed colostrum-deprived calves.

Five newborn isolation-reared colostrum-deprived calves were inoculated orally and intranasally when they were 20 to 30 hours old and challenge exposed when they were 21 days old with a suspension of virulent bovine coronavirus (BCV). Blood, feces, nasal swabs, tears, saliva, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids were collected from each calf prior to inoculation and then weekly for 5 post-inoculation weeks. An ELISA was used to quantitate the immunoglobulin isotype titers of BCV antibodies in all samples. An immunoblot assay was used to determine the antibody isotype responses to BCV structural proteins in all the samples, except saliva. At postinoculation days 2 to 3, all calves had severe watery diarrhea, shed BCV in their feces, and had evidence of BCV replication in their upper respiratory tract. After challenge exposure, no calves became ill and no evidence of BCV replication in the respiratory or intestinal tracts was detected. At postinoculation week 1, IgM responses to the N protein were seen in mucosal secretions (except nasal fluid) and feces. At postinoculation weeks 2 and 3, IgA was predominant in mucosal secretions and feces directed toward all the BCV proteins (except the E2 protein in BAL fluid). After challenge exposure, an increase (or failure to decrease) in most IgA and some IgG1 titers to BCV proteins was seen. The increases in IgA titers were to all viral proteins in all mucosal secretions and feces, except to the N and E1 viral proteins in feces. The IgG1 titer increases were to the E2 proteins in tears and BAL fluid and to the E3 protein in BAL fluid.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Evaluation of the Cornell-Wisconsin centrifugal flotation technique for recovering trichostrongylid eggs from bovine feces.

Several variables in the Cornell-Wisconsin centrifugal flotation technique were studied using helminthologically sterile bovine feces to which known numbers of Haemonchus contortus eggs had been added. Neither mode of mixing (levigation versus conventional), volume (15-60 mL) of water used for making the feces water suspension nor specific gravity (1.20-1.33) of the sucrose flotation solution affected egg recovery. Optimal times for centrifugation at 264 x g of first the feces water and then the feces sucrose suspension were three and five minutes respectively. Under these conditions 62.6% of the eggs were recoverable and there was a linear relationship between the number of eggs recovered and those added to the feces. About 30% of the unrecovered eggs were found in the fecal debris retained on the strainer. About 5% of the unrecovered eggs were found in the supernatant discarded after the feces water centrifugation and also in the matrix of the viscous sucrose solution. Addition of the detergent Triton X-100 caused a decrease in egg recovery. False negatives were not encountered between 3 to 70 epg; at 1.44 epg there was only one in 14 samples. Optimum procedures for the technique are presented.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Osmolarity and volatile fatty acid content of feces from horses with chronic diarrhea.

The concentrations of acetate (C2), propionate (C3), isobutyrate (iC4), butyrate (nC4), isovalerate (iC5), and valerate (nC5) were measured in the feces of 16 clinically normal horses and 44 horses with chronic diarrhea of at least 1-month's duration. The diarrheal horses were categorized diagnostically as: (1) no discernible clinical abnormalities other than diarrhea and in some cases, weight loss (open); (2) clinical evidence of strongyle larval migrans; and (3) Salmonella organisms recovered from the feces. Osmolarity of the feces of 14 of the normal and 15 of the sick horses also was measured. The mean concentration of C2 was significantly less (P < 0.05) in feces from horses of all diagnostic categories, whereas there was a significantly increased isobutyrate concentration (P < 0.01) in feces from horses in the open category. When individual volatile fatty acids (VFA) were expressed as percentage of total, only isobutyrate in feces from horses in the open category was significantly different (P < 0.01) from normal and was increased. Some horses were monitored sequentially for a number of weeks. Fecal VFA concentrations showed considerable variability, and a transient decrease of isobutyrate concentration was not necessarily coincidental with cessation of diarrhea. Horses responding to empirical therapy had a more stable reestablishment of a normal fecal VFA distribution. Correlation between total fecal VFA concentration and osmolarity was significant (P < 0.05) for diarrheal horses, but was not significant for normal horses.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Genus-specific detection of salmonellae in equine feces by use of the polymerase chain reaction.

Members of the genus Salmonella were identified in feces from horses, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and genus-specific oligonucleotide primers. Feces from healthy horses were determined to be culture-negative for Salmonella spp. Fecal samples were inoculated with known numbers of colony-forming units (CFU) of S anatum, S derby, S enteritidis, S heidelberg, S newport, and S typhimurium. The DNA was extracted from fecal samples and amplified by PCR, using genus-specific primers. Sensitivity of the assay extended to 10(3) CFU of Salmonella sp/g of feces; sensitivity of microbiologic culture with enrichment extended to 10(2) CFU of Salmonella sp/g of feces. Feces that were not inoculated with Salmonella spp were negative by the PCR. Detection of Salmonellae in feces was possible, using the PCR, within 10 to 12 hours from the time of submission of samples.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Effect of addition of organic waste on reduction of Escherichia coli during cattle feces composting under high-moisture condition.

To ensure Escherichia coli reduction during cattle feces composting, co-composting with a variety of organic wastes was examined. A mixture of dairy cattle feces and shredded rice straw (control) was blended with organic wastes (tofu residue, rice bran, rapeseed meal, dried chicken feces, raw chicken feces, or garbage), and composted using a bench-scale composter under the high-moisture condition (78%). The addition of organic waste except chicken feces brought about maximum temperatures of more than 55 degrees C and significantly reduced the number of E. coli from 10(6) to below 10(2)CFU/g-wet after seven days composting, while in the control treatment, E. coli survived at the same level as that of raw feces. Enhancements of the thermophilic phase and E. coli reduction were related to the initial amount of easily digestible carbon in mass determined as BOD. BOD value more than 166.2 mg O2/DMg brought about significant E. coli reduction.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Fetal bile acid metabolism during infancy: analysis of 1 beta-hydroxylated bile acids in urine, meconium and feces.

Fetal bile acids (1 beta-hydroxylated, 6 alpha-hydroxylated and unsaturated bile acids), especially 1 beta, 3 alpha,7 alpha, 12 alpha-tetrahydroxy-5 beta-cholan-24-oic acid (CA-1 beta-ol), have been detected in urine and feces early in life. To investigate whether a fetal pathway of bile acid synthesis exists in infancy, we measured the concentrations of bile acids in the urine, meconium and feces from normal newborns and infants by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The mean ratio of total bile acids to creatinine in urine increased between birth and 7 days and then gradually decreased; however, the concentration of total bile acids in urine remained significantly higher than that in adult urine until 3 mo of age. The main urinary bile acid was CA-1 beta-ol, and substantial amounts of fetal bile acids were detected in urine until 3 mo of age. The ratio of cholic acid to chenodeoxycholic acid was abnormally low in meconium (mean, 0.44; range, 0.19 to 0.74), and hyocholic acid constituted 19.3% of total bile acids. The mean total bile acid content of feces decreased between birth and 7 days of age and thereafter increased. The mean percentage of fetal bile acids in feces decreased after birth, but substantial amounts were present in feces until 1 mo of age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1979

Hydrocortisone stability in human feces.

Hydrocortisone stability in human feces was studied under various conditions to determine whether stability accounts for the variable effects of hydrocortisone enemas. Recovery from feces and assay specificity were assured using dual isotopes, TLC separation, and liquid scintillation counting. Hydrocortisone degraded slightly from 7 to 26% in 24 hr when incubated in fresh human feces at 37 degrees. Less than 7% degradation occurred in feces stored at 10 degrees, and negligible degradation occurred with hydrocortisone in water at 37 degrees. Fecal bacteria may account for the observed degradation. Hydrocortisone stability in feces may contribute to local persistence and may account partly for its efficacy in ulcerative colitis treatment.

Chromatography, Thin Layer↗
PubMed1997

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and their metabolites in blood, feces, and urine of rats orally exposed to PAH contaminated soils.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) have become an ubiquitous upper soil component as a consequence of industrialization involving a multitude of combustion processes. Ingestion of PAH contaminated soil is considered to be a major exposure route, specifically for small children living on these soils. Health risk assessment is based on extrapolations from data obtained via studies performed with pure chemicals. Additionally it is assumed that after oral intake all PAH present in the soil will be absorbed by the human body. Interactions with the soil matrix, however, may modulate the bioavailability of PAH. In this study, we examined the absorption and excretion of PAH in rats orally exposed either to industrially contaminated soils or pure model compounds as anthracene, pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene (B[a]P). The model compounds and the metabolites, 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-pyrene) and 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene (3-OH-B[a]P), were measured in blood, feces or urine by means of HPLC with fluorescence detection. Because of rapid biotransformation only minimal levels of unmetabolized anthracene, pyrene and B[a]P in blood could be detected. The pharmacokinetic parameters were nonlinear and suggestive of enterohepatic cycling. Only low levels of the compounds were excreted unchanged in feces whereas the levels of the metabolites were considerably higher in feces and urine. These results indicate that the dosed PAH are largely absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract, subsequently metabolized and excreted as metabolites via urine and feces. Significant differences between the soil-treated group and the pure mixture-treated group could be observed; the soil-treated group showed higher fecal excretion of unchanged pyrene (0.5 versus 0.2% of the original dose) and B[a]P (1 versus 0.3%), lower excretion of 1-OH-pyrene in feces (5.1 versus 17. 0%), and lower excretion of 1-OH-pyrene in urine (0.2 versus 3.4%). The fecal excretion of 3-OH-B[a]P between the two groups was similar (8.8 versus 8.8%). These results suggest that the soil matrix is capable of reducing the absorption of at least pyrene. Therefore, exposure risk assessment models assuming complete bioavailability of soilmatrix-bound PAH probably overestimate the endogenous dose.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2005

Development of a highly sensitive method for detection of clarithromycin-resistant Helicobacter pylori from human feces.

Gastric infection of clarithromycin (CAM)-resistant Helicobacter pylori is one of the major causes of failure to eradicate this organism. A noninvasive and useful method for the detection of CAM-resistant H. pylori from human feces by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the mutation of the 23S rRNA gene that confers CAM-resistance in H. pylori was developed in this study. Our nested PCR method detected DNA of H. pylori in feces with high sensitivity and specificity compared with both an enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) of H. pylori in feces and the isolation of H. pylori from gastric biopsy. Furthermore, the results of mutation analysis of the H. pylori 23S rRNA gene amplified from feces completely correlated with both that of the H. pylori 23S rRNA gene amplified from the isolates of gastric biopsy and the susceptibility of H. pylori isolates to CAM. Therefore, our results show that this RFLP/nested PCR method is useful for the accurate diagnosis of CAM-resistant H. pylori infection from feces.

Clarithromycin↗
PubMed2006

Antifeedants in the feces of the pine weevil Hylobius abietis: identification and biological activity.

Egg-laying females of the pine weevil, Hylobius abietis (L.), regularly deposit feces adjacent to each egg. Egg cavities are gnawed in the bark of roots of recently dead conifer trees. After egg deposition, the cavity is sealed by feces and a plug of bark fragments. Root bark containing egg cavities with feces is avoided as food by pine weevils, which indicates the presence of natural antifeedants. Here we present the first results of the isolation and chemical analyses of antifeedant compounds in the feces of H. abietis. In feeding bioassays, methanol extracts of the feces revealed strong antifeedant properties. Methanol extracts were fractionated by medium-pressure liquid chromatography and the antifeedant effects were mainly found in the fractions of highest polarity. Volatile compounds in the active fractions were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and the nonvolatile compounds were characterized by pyrolysis-GC-MS. Based on mass spectra, a number of compounds with various chemical structures were selected to be tested for their antifeedant properties. Antifeedant effects were found among compounds apparently originating from lignin: e.g., a methylanisol, guaiacol, veratrol, dihydroxybenzenes, and dihydroconiferyl alcohol. A weak effect by fatty acid derivatives was found. The types of naturally occurring antifeedant compounds identified in this study may become useful for the protection of planted conifer seedlings against damage by H. abietis.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Excretion of benzo[a]pyrene and metabolites in urine and feces of rats: influence of route of administration, sex and long-term ethanol treatment.

The urinary and fecal excretion of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and its main metabolites were studied after oral and intraperitoneal administration of B[a]P to male and female ethanol-treated and non-ethanol-treated rats. After oral administration of B[a]P more mutagenic compounds as well as B[a]P metabolites were found in feces than after intraperitoneal administration. The excretion of B[a]P metabolites in urine and feces after oral administration were maximal at days 1 and 2 whereas after intraperitoneal administration excretion was maximal at days 2 and 3. In males, the amounts of excreted phenolic metabolites in urine and feces were generally higher than in females. The amounts of mutagenic products in urine and feces of males were also higher than in females after intraperitoneal and oral administration of B[a]P. In urine of female rats that received B[a]P intraperitoneally, a decreased excretion of phenolic metabolites was found after ethanol treatment. In feces of both male and female rats, a decreased excretion of 3-OH-B[a]P was found after ethanol treatment. In this study, the influence of sex and administration route on the excretion of B[a]P metabolites was more pronounced than the effect of ethanol treatment.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1996

Rapid identification of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in bovine feces using the antibody-direct epifluorescent filter technique (Ab-DEFT).

The antibody-direct epifluorescent filter technique (Ab-DEFT) was adapted for direct detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in bovine feces. The method involved suspension of bovine feces in buffer, centrifugation for 30 s, treatment of the supernatant with trypsin and Triton X-100 at 50 degrees C for 10 min, pre-filtration through 5 and 1.2 microns pore filters, and filtration through a 0.4 micron pore filter. The final filter was stained with fluorescein-labeled polyclonal antibody specific for the O157 antigen and examined by epifluorescence microscopy. The Ab-DEFT was correlated with viable plate counts for enumeration of the pathogen in artificially inoculated bovine feces (r = 0.96). The limit of detection was approximately 10(4)-10(5) CFU/g feces. The procedure provided a clean background for microscopic visualization of cells; however, cell loss and inaccurate quantitation sometimes resulted. E. coli O157:H7 was detected in feces of an inoculated calf for more than 3 weeks post-inoculation. The Ab-DEFT may be useful for rapid screening of cattle for the presence of the E. coli O157:H7 and as an analytical method in ecological studies of the pathogen.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Mucosal antibodies can be measured in air-dried samples of saliva and feces.

IgA antibodies reflecting airways or intestinal mucosal immune responses can be found in saliva and feces, respectively, and IgG antibodies reflecting serum antibodies can be found in saliva. In this study, antibodies were detected in samples of saliva and feces which had been air-dried at room temperature (+20 degrees C) or +37 degrees C, and stored at these temperatures for up to 6 months. In saliva the antibody levels increased, while the antibodies in feces decreased upon storage. The individual IgA antibody concentrations which were adjusted by using the ratios of specific IgA/total IgA were relatively stable in both saliva and feces, and correlated with corresponding antibody levels in samples which had been stored at -20 degrees C. The results indicate that air-dried saliva and feces can be used for semiquantitative measurements of mucosal antibodies, even after prolonged storage at high temperatures and lack of refrigeration.

Feces↗
PubMed2004

Monitoring the cell number and viability of Lactobacillus helveticus GCL1001 in human feces by PCR methods.

Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested reverse transcription (RT) PCR were applied to demonstrate the viability of lactobacilli in the feces of volunteers fed fermented milk containing lactobacilli. Two sets of specific primers and a TaqMan probe for real-time PCR were constructed using the S-layer gene as a target. After fermented milk ingestion, Lactobacillus helveticus GCL1001 was detected in the feces of 12 volunteers over a few days, with the maximum number being between 10(4.5) and 10(7.8) cells g(-1) of feces. Moreover, mRNA from this strain was detected in the feces of all volunteers by nested RT-PCR. The results show that these methods are applicable to the demonstration of bacterial viability in feces, and that ingested L. helveticus GCL1001 can survive through the gastrointestinal tract.

Colony Count, Microbial↗
PubMed1989

Combined chromatographic-isotopic dilution analysis of fecapentaenes in human feces.

Fecapentaene-12 (FP-12) and fecapentaene-14 (FP-14) are genotoxic unsaturated ether lipids produced by colonic bacteria in man. We have developed and applied to feces collections from normal volunteers direct isotopic dilution procedures using tritium-labeled (at C5) FP-12 and FP-14 for measuring these compounds. FPs were recovered from feces by solvent extraction, silica cartridge clean-up, and analytical liquid chromatography. Low levels of FP-12 and FP-14 (less than 0.1 to 2.4 micrograms/g of freeze-dried feces) were observed. Identity of chromatographic peaks was established by co-elution and by ultraviolet absorption spectra obtained via photodiode array scanning. Two unknown peaks were tentatively identified from absorption spectra as closely related compounds with increased (hexane?) or decreased (tetraene?) number of double bonds. Levels of FPs increased after incubation of feces at 37 degrees C for 96 h under anaerobic conditions and pre-FP-12 and pre-FP-14 peaks were observed, which showed identical spectra with authentic FPs. These were interpreted to be isomeric forms of the all-trans-[3H]FPs used for the isotopic dilution analysis. Total FPs (including pre-FP) yielded a range of 0.3-80 micrograms FP-12 and 2.8-44 micrograms FP-14 per g of freeze-dried feces from the study group.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗