[Control of fecal fermentation with paramomycin and metronidazole]

Using and old procedure to investigate fecal fermentation (FF), modified to make it quantitative a relation was recently found between exaggerated FF and meteorism. FF levels probable reflect the intensity of colonic fermentation. Consequently, it seems desirable to control FF to be able, then, to control exaggerated colonic fermentation in patients with meteorism. In the present communication, a report is made on the effect on FF levels, obtained with fecal samples from 22 patients with meteorism, exerted by the addition of: 1) an antibiotic, paramomycin, with a definite inhibitory capacity on coliform bacteria; 2) a chemotherapeutic agent, metronidazolee, with a definitive inhibitory capacity on anerobic bacteria; and 3) a mixture of paramocycin and metronidazole. Basal FF was normal in 12 out of 22 fecal samples, and exaggerated in the remaining 10 samples. In about all the samples - as well in the samples that rendered normal basal FF as in the samples that rendered exaggerated basal FF - the addition of paramomycin, of metronidazole and of paramomycin and metronidazole in combination significantly reduced the FF levels; and the reductions exerted by each of the additions were not significantly different among each other. Analyzing the obtained results, it was concluded: a) that fecal anaerobic bacteria are, very probably, the main agents of FF, while coliform bacteria only favour the action of the former; and b) that paramomycin, metronidazole or paramomycin and metronidazol in combination could be useful to manage patients with meteorism and exaggerated FF.