INTESTINAL METHANOGENIC BACTERIA IN CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT AGES

Faecal samples from children between 3 months and 5 yrs were investiga ted for the presence of methanogenic bacteria. Methanobacteria were no t detected in faecal samples obtained from children under 27 months of age. At 27 months only one subject harbored methanobacteria; the numb er of methanobacteria hosts subsequently increased with age, with an i ncidence of 40% at 3 years and 60% at 5 years. The appearance of metha nobacteria was not directly related to introduction of particular food s in the child's diet, which after 2 years becomes similar to that of Italian adults. These dietary changes could give rise to some physical -chemical modifications of the enteric lumen thus causing the conversi on of the intestinal flora to an adult pattern and, in most subjects, the development of methanobacteria.