Intestinal bacteria in patients with tropical sprue.

Ten samples of jejunal fluid from patients with tropical sprue and 11 from controls without this disease were examined bacteriologically, using techniques designed to obtain the optimal yield of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Total colony counts did not differ significantly in the two groups studied. The organisms isolated comprised a wide range of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. With the exception of Haemophilus species, no bacterial group was isolated in significantly greater numbers in sprue patients than in controls. The pathogenesis of tropical sprue in Natal is discussed in the light of these findings.