title: The isolation and identification of Bacteroides spp. from the normal human faecal flora.
abstract: Gram-negative anaerobic bacilli of the Bacteroides group were isolated on an enriched selective medium from specimens of faeces from 20 normal healthy adults and identified by conventional bacteriological methods. A heavy growth of Bacteroides spp. was obtained from all specimens and 10 representative colonies from each subject were identified. Most isolates (84%) belonged to the B. fragilis group. The commonest species identified in this group were B vulgatus and B. thetaiotaomicron (22% each), B. distasonis (18%) and the B. eggerthii/variabilis complex (14%), and only 9% were B. fragilis. B. vulgatus was isolated from 80% of subjects, B. thetaiotaomicron and B. distasonis from 70% each and the B. eggerthii/variabilis complex from 65%, but B. fragilis was detected in only 45% of specimens. Asaccharolytic species were isolated in smaller numbers from 14 (70%) subjects, but only five strains of the B. melaninogenicus/oralis group were isolated and fusobacteria were not detected.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001439:Bacteroides / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D001441:Bacteroides fragilis / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D001443:Prevotella melaninogenica / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents