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Adherence of enterobacteria in infantile diarrhea and its prevention
Insights
Carrot soup and carob fiber effectively block enterobacteria adherence in infant diarrhea. These natural compounds, particularly carob oligosaccharides, show promise in preventing bacterial attachment and reducing diarrhea severity.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Pediatrics
- Nutrition
Background:
- Enterobacteria adherence to intestinal cells is a key factor in infantile diarrhea pathogenesis.
- Bacterial pathogens were frequently isolated from the duodenum in infants with prolonged diarrhea.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the adherence mechanisms of enterobacteria in infantile diarrhea.
- To evaluate the efficacy of carrot soup and carob in blocking bacterial adherence.
Main Methods:
- Bacterial adherence was assessed using hemagglutination, radiolabeled filtration assays, and direct microscopic counting.
- Correlation between different adherence measurement methods was analyzed.
- The inhibitory effects of carrot soup and carob fractions on bacterial adherence were tested.
Main Results:
- A high correlation was observed between the different methods used to assess bacterial adherence.
- Twenty out of 36 bacterial strains demonstrated adherence across all tested methods.
- Carrot soup and carob solutions significantly inhibited the adherence of Escherichia coli to intestinal cells, with carob oligosaccharides being the primary active component.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial adherence is a significant factor in infantile diarrhea.
- Carrot and carob, particularly carob oligosaccharides, can effectively block enterobacteria adherence.
- These findings suggest a mechanism for the therapeutic effectiveness of carob-based remedies in treating infantile diarrhea.
Abstract:
Adherence of enterobacteria on intestinal epithelial cells is considered a major pathogenic mechanism of infantile diarrhea. In 36 of 40 infants with diarrhea of more than five days' duration, bacterial organisms were isolated from the duodenum. Adherence of these bacteria was investigated by different methods: hemagglutination of 0 + human red blood cells was used as a screening; adherence of bacteria on isolated intestinal epithelial cells was studied by a radiolabeled filtration assay, observation of epithelia under the light microscope and calculation of the number of bacteria/cell was counted. The correlation between these methods was high; 20 of 36 strains showed adherence by all methods. The cell-free carbohydrate fraction of carrot soup and a 2% solution of carob, the fruit of the Mediterranean locust tree, were able to block hemagglutination and adherence of Escherichia coli on isolated intestinal epithelial cells to a great extent. The active blocking agent was found in the oligosaccharide fraction of the carob solution. Blockage of adherence of bacteria isolated from the upper small intestinal tract of children with severe, protracted diarrhea could explain the therapeutic effectiveness of empirically proven diarrheal remedies.