Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Hygiene logoLink to The Journal of Hygiene
. 1986 Feb;96(1):59–65. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400062537

Diet and faecal flora in three dietary groups in rural northern Nigeria.

B S Drasar, F Montgomery, A M Tomkins
PMCID: PMC2129582  PMID: 3950398

Abstract

Quantitative bacterial counts, concentrations of bile acids and bacterial enzyme profiles were measured in faecal samples from three tribal groups with distinctive dietary patterns in a rural area of northern Nigeria. Samples were obtained from Maguzawa (with a predominantly cereal diet), Hausa (cereal with regular meat consumption) and Fulani (cereal with frequent consumption of cows' milk). Numbers of bacteroides, clostridia and concentrations of bile acids were lower in the Maguzawa than the other dietary groups but these differences were not statistically significant. Bacterial enzyme profiles in each group were similar. The results are discussed with respect to possible influences of diet on the human intestinal microflora.

Full text

PDF
61

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aries V. C., Crowther J. S., Drasar B. S., Hill M. J., Ellis F. R. The effect of a strict vegetarian diet on the faecal flora and faecal steroid concentration. J Pathol. 1971 Jan;103(1):54–56. doi: 10.1002/path.1711030108. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Aries V., Crowther J. S., Drasar B. S., Hill M. J., Williams R. E. Bacteria and the aetiology of cancer of the large bowel. Gut. 1969 May;10(5):334–335. doi: 10.1136/gut.10.5.334. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bullen C. L., Tearle P. V., Stewart M. G. The effect of "humanised" milks and supplemented breast feeding on the faecal flora of infants. J Med Microbiol. 1977 Nov;10(4):403–413. doi: 10.1099/00222615-10-4-403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Crowther J. S. Transport and storage of faeces for bacteriological examination. J Appl Bacteriol. 1971 Jun;34(2):477–483. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1971.tb02307.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Drasar B. S., Jenkins D. J., Cummings J. H. The influence of a diet rich in wheat fibre on the human faecal flora. J Med Microbiol. 1976 Nov;9(4):423–431. doi: 10.1099/00222615-9-4-423. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Evrard E., Janssen G. Gas-liquid chromatographic determination of human fecal bile acids. J Lipid Res. 1968 Mar;9(2):226–236. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Floch M. H., Gorbach S. L., Luckey T. D. Intestinal microflora. Introduction. Am J Clin Nutr. 1970 Nov;23(11):1425–1426. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/23.11.1425. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Goldin B., Dwyer J., Gorbach S. L., Gordon W., Swenson L. Influence of diet and age on fecal bacterial enzymes. Am J Clin Nutr. 1978 Oct;31(10 Suppl):S136–S140. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/31.10.S136. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Holdeman L. V., Good I. J., Moore W. E. Human fecal flora: variation in bacterial composition within individuals and a possible effect of emotional stress. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1976 Mar;31(3):359–375. doi: 10.1128/aem.31.3.359-375.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. IWATA T., YAMASAKI K. ENZYMATIC DETERMINATION AND THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHY OF BILE ACIDS IN BLOOD. J Biochem. 1964 Nov;56:424–431. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a128013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Koornhof H. J., Richardson N. J., Wall D. M., Moore W. E. Fecal bacteria in South African rural blacks and other population groups. Isr J Med Sci. 1979 Apr;15(4):335–340. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Tomkins A. M., Bradley A. K., Oswald S., Drasar B. S. Diet and the faecal microflora of infants, children and adults in rural Nigeria and urban U.K. J Hyg (Lond) 1981 Jun;86(3):285–293. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400069035. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Tomkins A. M., Drasar B. S., Bradley A. K., Williamson W. A. Water supply and nutritional status in rural northern Nigeria. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1978;72(3):239–243. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(78)90201-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Hygiene are provided here courtesy of Cambridge University Press

RESOURCES