Intestinal microflora and oral bacteriotherapy in irritable bowel syndrome

On the basis of many clinical and experimental observations, it would appear feasible to hold that the characteristics of the luminal milieu, the relationship, the balance between luminal prokaryotic cells and mucosal eukaryotic cells and the consequent immunological and humoral local and systemic responses take part in the pathophysiology of several diseases and, consequently, bacteriotherapy can play a relevant role in the treatment and prevention of irritable bowel syndrome and more in general, of the intestinal functional disorders. The irritable bowel syndrome is characterised by sudden and unforeseeable changes in the two main symptoms, constipation and diarrhoea, even within a few days. The amount and composition of proximal colon microflora, increasing with regard to the above-mentioned factors, and the time in which this development occurs, are, in our opinion, elements taking part, together with colon dysmotility and alterations of visceral perception, in the onset of the variability in stool frequency typical of these patients. The present open non-controlled trial is the first observation showing a clinical improvement related to changes in the composition of the faecal bacterial flora and in faecal biochemistry and, remarkably, in the colonic motility pattern, all of which induced by administration of probiotics, in patients with functional diarrhoea.