Comparative gas chromatography-mass spectrometry study of the composition of microbial chemical markers in feces

Abstract

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was used to determine fatty acids, the markers of microorganisms, in the feces, including neonatal transitional stool and meconium, and healthy adults of different ages. It revealed the markers of Eubacterium, Clostridium, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Rhodococcus, Streptomyces, Enterobacteriaceae, Bacteroides, Helicobacter pylori, Alcaligenes, Peptostreptococcus, Candida, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Fusobacterium sp. and other bacteria, as well as yeast, microscopic fungi, and viruses. The fecal microbial concentration was estimated to be within (0.3-4) × 1011/g depending on the examinees' age and sex, which is in agreement with genetic and cultural findings in relation to both the total number of microorganisms and the dominant role of the bacteria of the genera Eubacterium, Bacteroides, Clostridium, and Bifidobacterium in the feces.