MINERALS AND INTESTINAL FLORA
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
The gastro-intestinal tract is not sterile; implantation probably takes place soon after birth. Under ordinary conditions there is such an enormous number of nonpathogenic bacteria in the intestine that it has been estimated that from one fourth to one third of the dry matter of the feces consists of bacteria. In herbivora such saprophytes are of great significance in the utilization of food, and the bacterial protein itself may under certain circumstances provide available nitrogen for the nutrition of the host. In man, under usual dietary conditions, the predominating organism present is the colon bacillus, which is known to bring about characteristic changes in unabsorbed residues of the digestion of protein as well as of the proteins of the intestinal secretions. It has long been known that toxic amines and also phenols are thus produced. Another type of organism, present in relatively small numbers, is the aciduric group. These bacteria
