Gastric acid barrier to ingested microorganisms in man: studies in vivo and in vitro
Reassessment of the `gastric bactericidal barrier' to enteric bacteria in man included studies of the bactericidal activity of (1) the normal and achlorhydric stomach in vivo and (2) normal and achlorhydric gastric juice and other media in vitro. Within 30 minutes virtually all bacteria (Serrat...
Saved in:
Published in | Gut Vol. 13; no. 4; pp. 251 - 256 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Society of Gastroenterology
01.04.1972
BMJ Publishing Group LTD |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Reassessment of the `gastric bactericidal barrier' to enteric bacteria in man included studies of the bactericidal activity of (1) the normal and achlorhydric stomach in vivo and (2) normal and achlorhydric gastric juice and other media in vitro. Within 30 minutes virtually all bacteria (Serratia marcescens) were eliminated in the normal stomach whereas no reduction occurred in the achlorhydric stomach in one hour. In vitro, identical bactericidal activity was observed at the same pH (from 2·0 to 7·0) in normal gastric juice, achlorhydric gastric juice, aqueous HCl, and nutrient broth. At pH less than 4·0, 99·9% of the bacteria were killed within 30 minutes. The presence of profuse bacterial flora, including coliforms, found in markedly acid-deficient but not in normal stomachs, correlates well with the absence of bactericidal activity. Thus, the `gastric bactericidal barrier' is primarily pH-hydrochloric acid dependent, with other constituents of gastric juice contributing little, if any, detectable effect on the destruction of microorganisms. |
---|---|
Bibliography: | PMID:4556018 local:gutjnl;13/4/251 href:gutjnl-13-251.pdf ark:/67375/NVC-58CVHSN0-1 istex:C3194D6CE544E8321CE4E12B1D85BB9CC2DEF422 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0017-5749 1468-3288 1458-3288 |
DOI: | 10.1136/gut.13.4.251 |