Hudson M J, Tomkins A M, Wiggins H S, Drasar B S
PHLS Centre for Applied Microbiology & Research, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK.
Scand J Gastroenterol. 1993 Nov;28(11):993-8. doi: 10.3109/00365529309098298.
Breath methane excretion was measured in 274 healthy subjects from 2 rural communities in northern Nigeria. Studies in 24 adults showed a normal faecal flora with no enteric pathogens. Breath methane was detected in 122 (77%) of 159 adults, 19 (40%) of 47 older children (2-6 years), and 4 (8%) of 68 young children (< 2 years). Women were slightly more commonly breath methane-positive than men (82% versus 75%, respectively). Hyperventilation did not influence the specificity of the breath methane assay, although levels were circa 30% lower after deliberate hyperventilation. Methanogens were estimated by enrichment culture of faeces from 49 subjects. Of the subjects 76% had faecal methanogens estimated at > or = 10(2)/g, 45% at > or = 10(4)/g, and 16% at > or = 10(6)/g. There was no significant difference in distribution of methanogenic cultures between different age or tribal groups, and there were no obvious correlations between breath methane excretion and either the faecal carriage of methanogens per se or numbers present.
对来自尼日利亚北部两个农村社区的274名健康受试者进行了呼出气甲烷排泄量的测定。对24名成年人的研究表明其粪便菌群正常，无肠道病原体。在159名成年人中有122名（77%）检测到呼出气甲烷，47名大龄儿童（2至6岁）中有19名（40%），68名幼儿（<2岁）中有4名（8%）。女性呼出气甲烷阳性的比例略高于男性（分别为82%和75%）。过度通气并不影响呼出气甲烷检测的特异性，不过在刻意过度通气后，甲烷水平约降低30%。通过对49名受试者的粪便进行富集培养来估计产甲烷菌数量。在这些受试者中，76%的人粪便中产甲烷菌数量估计≥10²/g，45%的人≥10⁴/g，16%的人≥10⁶/g。不同年龄组或部落组之间产甲烷菌培养物的分布没有显著差异，呼出气甲烷排泄量与粪便中产甲烷菌本身的携带情况或数量之间也没有明显的相关性。
