Comparative study of adult Slovak vegetarians and meat-eaters gut microbiota

The human intestinal microflora represents a huge reservoir of microorganisms, which affect human immune system and health. Microbial content in the intestine may differ depending on gender, age, geographic region, lifestyle factors and nutrition habits. In this study, quantitative and qualitative changes in colon microflora of adult health Slovak population (21–40 year old) with different diet (vegetarians and meat-eaters) were investigated. For qualitative and quantitative microbial determination of 112 faecal samples, cultivation on different selective diagnostic media was applied. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rDNA was performed with 20 samples, which displayed very similar bacterial community by the cultivation screening. Presence of potential mutagenic agents as well as antimicrobial activity was determined. The most significant difference was registered in total counts of clostridia, which was highest in meat-eaters aged 21–30. In other groups of microbes, no significant differences were detected to depend on diet or age. The DGGE analysis of 20 samples showed different molecular profiles. The lowest percentage of subjects with detected potential mutagenic activity was observed in category of older (31–40) meat-eaters. Higher antimicrobial activity was detected in samples from meat-eaters compared to vegetarians, in particular in women.