Microbiological aspects of enteric dysbacteriosis in patients of different age groups, visiting outpatient clinics of Moscow

The analysis of the intestinal microflora in 2,378 patients of different age revealed changes in the state of enteric microflora in all examined patients. In the maximum percent of cases a decrease in the amount of bifidobacteria was observed in children of up to 1 month old and in the amount of lactobacilli, in children aged 6 - 14 years. In patients of all age groups the representatives of such facultative microflora as Staphylococcus aureus or fungi of the genus Candida dominated. The highest proportion of isolated staphylococci was characteristic of children in the first year of life. In the highest percent of cases a decrease in the amount of Escherichia coli with typical properties was observed in persons over 65 years old. Other enterobacteria were most often isolated from adults aged 56 - 65, but the percentage of their isolation was 1.5 times lower than that of Candida. The conclusion was made that the treatment of patients with quantitative and qualitative disturbances of normal enteric microflora needed individual approach in each concrete case with due regard to the patient's age.