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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/6/2019 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Everyone! I need your help interpreting recent results of a stool test. The test showed that I have “mixed gram negative flora absent” and “moderate growth of mixed gram positive flora”. Furthermore, mixed flora consists predominantly of “enterococcus faecium”. I took the same test two years ago and there was “heavy growth” of both gram negative an positive flora. Does this mean that things have deteriorated? Does this seem like a very bad results in terms of dysbiosis? I am going to discuss this with my doctor next week, but for now I am feeling quite uneasy. I have a very low fiber diet, so I wonder if it has something to do with the results.
Posted 12/7/2019 3:10 PM (GMT 0)
I think it mostly means that your aerobic species are down in population. The positive down from heavy to moderate, and the negative down from heavy to absent.

This could indicate dysbiosis, but someone more informed than me as to what a healthy balance look like would have to interpret. I am not in a position to say if it sounds like bad dysbiosis.

Also, there is some evidence from FMT studies that the anaerobic are the most important for IBS/IBD, and these types of stool tests grow cultures in the presence of oxygen, so they do not speak to anaerobic at all.

I hope you get more info after talking with you doc, but I also would not put too much worry on one test of aerobic species.

good luck

Post Edited (DBwithUC) : 12/9/2019 12:45:46 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/9/2019 3:07 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the reply DB with UC. Dysbiosis was my interpretation of the results as well. This is quite worrisome for me. I will speak with my doctor on Wednesday and hopefully get more answers.
Posted 12/11/2019 2:26 AM (GMT 0)
Let us know what your doctor thinks about the lab results. What was he/she looking for?

In the recent past a stool culture was reported only for pathogens. In other words, "No Salmonella, no Shigella, no Campylobacter..." Just a short list of what is NOT there with no comment about what was found. But you are correct to expect the usual gram negative mix. So it would be interesting to get the opinion of an MD, microbiologist or infectious disease doctor. Still, it is not likely that the culture means that your IBD is worse.

DB says that anaerobes that grow without oxygen would not show up. Plenty of gram negatives there.
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