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Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth:
The
human intestinal microbiota has a complex ecology, and it has the most
abundant microbial population in the human body. It is also
characterized by its diversity and complex interaction. Per Bures et al.
(2010), any disbalance in the intestinal microbiota will have serious
health consequences. One of the most commonly developed syndromes due to
bacteria overgrowth is called SIBO small intestinal bacteria
overgrowth. It is defined as an alteration of bacteria in the upper
gastrointestinal tract and is one of the most common forms of
disbalances in the gut. The duodenum and jejunum contain a small number
of bacteria, such as lactobacilli and enterococci
gram-positive bacteria. However, high amounts of coliform gram negative
bacteria are found in the small bowel of people with SIBO.
Sorathia et al. (2015) reported that gastric secretion and intestinal
motility limit the overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. Furthermore,
when the protective intestinal mechanism fails, small bacteria
overgrowth will develop. During ingestion of food, gastric acid and bile
destroy and prevent bacteria from passing through the intestines.
Gastric secretion is one of the endogenous defense mechanisms in the
body for SIBO. Moreover, small bacteria overgrowth is also associated
with pancreatic insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome, narcotic use,
post-radiation, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, bacteria
translocation, and bariatric surgery. Furthermore, immunoglobulin A is
found in abundance in the gastrointestinal tract, and it also prevents
bacteria overgrowth from developing, having intestinal immunodeficiency
IgA will trigger small bacteria overgrowth in healthy people (Sorathia
et al. 2015).
Per Sorathia et al. (2015) research have identified the most common species of SIBO as Streptococcus, Escherichia coli, lactobacillus and Bacteroides.
Symptoms and clinical manifestations of SIBO include bloating,
flatulence, diarrhea, weight loss, fat and carbohydrates malabsorption.
Vitamin deficiencies such as B1, B3, and B12 from ileal mucosa damage to
cobalamin binding sites are also common. Moreover, 45 percent of
patients have recurrent SIBO after antibiotic therapy, with higher
percentage alterations with the continuing use of proton pump inhibitors
(antacid medication) (Sorathia et al. 2015).
Rao
et al. (2019) presented a metanalysis of patients registered with SIBO
from 1985 to June 8th, 2018. They found a total of 23 references on
predisposing factors and four on diagnostic testing for SIBO. The study
recognized that the prevalence of SIBO is challenging to estimate
because it occurs in a broad spectrum of diseases in the GI tract. What
we have learned so far is that SIBO correlates with IBS, and it is more
prevalent in women and older individuals. The less invasive diagnostic
method for SIBO is breath testing. During the breath testing, patients
ingest a carbohydrate substance that is metabolized, and once it is
exposed to the GI microbes, it will trigger the production of methane
and hydrogen. Glucose and lactulose are also used during breath testing
for detecting SIBO (Rao et al. 2019). Effective treatment of SIBO
includes eradication of bacteria with the use of antibiotics or other
methods following the 4 R’s, Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, Repair, and
Rebalance.
(Rao et al. 2019).
Bures, J., Cyrany, J., Kohoutova, D., Förstl, M., Rejchrt, S., Kvetina, J., Vorisek, V., & Kopacova, M. (2010). Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth syndrome. World journal of gastroenterology, 16(24), 2978–2990. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v16.i24.2978
Sorathia SJ, Rivas JM. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. [Updated 2019 Aug 23]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546634/
Rao, S., & Bhagatwala, J. (2019). Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth: Clinical Features and Therapeutic Management. Clinical and translational gastroenterology, 10(10), e00078. https://doi.org/10.14309/ctg.0000000000000078
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