In the child's body, a tendency is immediately revealed confirming the immaturity of the organs of the digestive system. At the same time, with the help of this type of analysis, the existing imbalance in the intestinal microflora is confirmed. Most often, with dysbacteriosis in infants or a newborn, there is a risk of having any diseases, as a result of which a failure occurred in the body. In most cases, dysbacteriosis does not have pronounced signs and is usually similar to any other disease of the digestive tract. In this regard, it becomes quite difficult to determine and identify dysbacteriosis in the child's body. Therefore, the delivery of feces for analysis is one of the reliable and accurate laboratory methods that can confirm this diagnosis.
When should I be tested for dysbacteriosis?
Sometimes the results of an analysis for the presence of dysbacteriosis in a child may contain a lot of information that is unclear to ordinary parents. In order to shed light on the contents of such analyzes, we will try in this article to study the entire range of information provided during the delivery of analyzes, as well as decipher its contents. It is necessary for children to take this type of analysis if the child has:
- Diseases of the digestive organs;
- Increased flatulence;
- Intolerance to certain types of food;
- Pain in the abdomen;
- Antibiotic therapy.
All of the above pathologies are a prerequisite for testing for dysbacteriosis in the child's body. In addition, this type of analysis must be done to a newborn, if he is listed in the category of children with the development of various intestinal pathologies. For children susceptible to lesions of various diseases, testing for dysbacteriosis is also important.
What is the purpose of testing for dysbacteriosis?
An analysis of feces for the presence of dysbacteriosis in a child's body is performed in order to refute or confirm the corresponding diagnosis. At the same time, with the help of this analysis, it is possible to identify the causes of discomfort in the baby's body. Based on the data of this analysis, the attending physician makes a definite diagnosis and prescribes the appropriate treatment. As a result, the baby feels much better, and parents rejoice at his recovery. Using the analysis of a child's feces to confirm or refute a dysbacteriosis developing in the body, doctors accurately and practically without errors study the composition of its microflora and determine the concentrations of the following groups of microorganisms:
- which include microorganisms that improve the processes of digestion and assimilation of the nutrients of the baby;
- Conditionally pathogenic microorganisms contained in the intestines of an infant and capable of worsening the health of the baby. Usually, this group of microorganisms can be harmful to a child if the number of such bacteria prevails over the number of beneficial ones;
- Pathogenic bacteria that should not be contained in the microflora of a healthy baby at all.
The composition of the intestinal microflora of the child
When examining feces for dysbacteriosis, specialists from medical institutions study in detail the composition of the obtained biomaterial. The essence of this analysis is to identify the ratio of the number of beneficial bacterial microorganisms to the number of opportunistic pathogens, also present in the child's body. The category of beneficial microorganisms that inhabit the intestines of a child includes: E. coli, lactobacilli, as well as. All these varieties of microorganisms have a positive effect on the health and condition of the child's body.
The group of opportunistic microorganisms scientists include: fungi, clostridia, Klebsiella, enterobacteria. Their activity can cause some discomfort to the growing child's body and cause the child to cry. In the child's body, each of the groups of bacterial microorganisms represented performs its role. So, some of the bacteria described above provide the baby with harmonious digestion, while others, on the contrary, cause the development of various pathologies in the child.
The presence of pathogenic enterobacteria in the feces of a child indicates the presence of some kind of disease, since normally this category of microorganisms should not be present in the feces of healthy children. In addition, microorganisms of the genus or shigella found in the feces of a child indicate the development of a rather complex intestinal disease in the child's body, so their presence is highly undesirable in the child's body.
The intestinal microflora may also contain microorganisms of the genus Salmonella and Shigella, as well as harmful fungal bodies belonging to the genus Candida. Fungal organisms belonging to the genus Candida can cause some discomfort to the baby. With an increased content of these fungi in the intestine, a superficial lesion of the skin in the anus can begin. And if these fungi actively begin to multiply and at the same time the number of beneficial microorganisms decreases significantly, the child may develop thrush or candidiasis.
Staphylococcus aureus should also not be found in the feces of a child, especially those in infancy. The presence of staphylococcus aureus in the feces, even in small quantities, can cause various clinical manifestations in a child. These include: pustules on the skin, and intestinal disorders. Staphylococcus aureus can easily enter the child's body through mother's milk. Children with weak immunity are most susceptible to infection. In addition to staphylococcus, hemolyzing Escherichia coli can also harm the child's body. It, like staphylococcus, is not favorable for the development of beneficial microflora in the child's body. Pathogenic microorganisms belonging to the genus Clostridium are the cause of diarrhea in the children's body.
The conditionally pathogenic part of microorganisms causes discomfort to the baby only when his immune system is weakened. If this category of microorganisms actively multiplies and begins to prevail over beneficial bacteria, the baby may begin dysbacteriosis.
Bifidobacteria are beneficial bacteria in the baby's intestines. Thanks to their presence in the child's body, many of the most important processes for his body are carried out. These include:
- Stimulation of intestinal motility;
- Involved in the breakdown of food;
- Normalize the process of emptying the intestines;
- Promote the absorption of vitamins;
- Provides food digestion;
- Help in ensuring the process of absorption of food;
- Promote the absorption of essential trace elements;
- Able to neutralize many toxic substances.
This is not a complete list of the benefits and virtues of bifidobacteria, which are necessary for the growth and development of the child's body. If there are very few bifidobacteria in the intestine, this serves as a signal for the development of dysbacteriosis in the child. They play an important role in the intestinal microflora. They help to maintain the body's defense systems against the penetration of various kinds of allergens into it. Thanks to lactobacilli in the body, lactase and lactic acid are synthesized, which are simply indispensable for ensuring the normal functioning of the intestines. If these lactobacilli die, the child may develop allergies, constipation and lactase deficiency. This is especially undesirable for children who have not reached the age of the first year of life.
For the microflora of the child's body, it is important to have the activity of which is necessary for the healthy growth and development of the body. Thanks to the microorganisms of this group, children do not have a wide spread of pathogenic bacteria throughout the body, and oxygen that is dangerous for the life of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria is also excreted. With a decrease in the amount of E. coli in the composition of the intestinal microflora in the child's body, helminthic invasion may occur.
Dysbacteriosis in a child's body is accompanied by regurgitation, diarrhea or constipation, various skin reactions, pain in the abdominal cavity, and bloating of the stomach. If your baby suffers from pain in the abdomen or colic, then you should consult a doctor. The reason for visiting the doctor is the disorder of the children's stool, accompanied by the anxiety of the baby. The cause of all these troubles for the child's body may be. It can be detected only by passing the child's feces for analysis. With the help of this analysis, the doctor will be able not only to find the cause of dysbacteriosis, but also to provide the baby with the necessary assistance.
Deciphering the analysis
This analysis is carried out within seven days. It is during this period of time that all data on the composition of the microflora of the baby's feces become ready. After receiving the biomaterial, laboratory specialists place it in a special container with a nutrient medium, in which all microorganisms in the feces germinate. After some time, laboratory staff count germinated bacterial spores per gram of feces and study them in detail using a microscope. Then all data on the number of germinated microorganisms are entered into a special form. The number of germinated bacteria is documented using colony-forming units, based on one gram of the studied biomaterial (COH/g).
For the analysis of feces, a biochemical method is used, since it is more accurate and requires much less time to complete. The gastroenterologist is engaged in deciphering the results of the analysis. In his work, he is guided by the norms of age indicators for the child's body.
The delivery of biomaterial for analysis in order to identify in a child a necessary condition for preventing the spread of various pathologies throughout the child's body. Usually, on the form with the result of the analysis of the child's stool, there are up to eleven items of indicators that indicate the presence of certain microorganisms in the intestinal microflora of the child and their number. The results of the analysis carried out contain the following indicators:
The reasons leading to a decrease in the number of Escherichia coli are.