| Background and Study Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease characterized by an increase of more than 5% to 10% of fat in the liver, is a chronic and multifactorial disorder. The aim of this study was to evaluate different species of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, between patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and healthy individuals.
Patients and Methods: From July to September 2014, 20 patients with histopathologically confirmed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and 20 healthy individuals as controls were selected. Morphological and biochemical tests were used for identification of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus isolates from stools, and the number of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium spp. was performed using the pour plate assay.
Results: In the current study, total tested intestinal bacteria significantly differ between healthy individuals and patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (Pv 0.030). The healthy group tended to have a higher frequency of L.fermentum, L.reuteri, L.salivaricus, B.longum, B.bifidum, and
B.adolescentis count compared to non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases patients. In contrast, the L.acidophilus count, in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients, was higher than in the healthy group.
Conclusion: In conclusion this study shows that the imbalance in intestinal microbiota especially B.longum, L.fermentum, and B.reuteri may lead to an increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. |