Preliminary Study of the Faecal Flora in Families of Patients with Crohn’s Disease

Abstract

It is likely that both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the aetiology of Crohn’s disease [CD]. Inheritance appears to be polygenic and, as far as the environment is concerned, it can only be said that the disease is not contagious. In many cases, intestinal infections [by Campylobacter, Yersinia, viral infections, ‘ulcerative colitis’] appear to trigger the onset of CD. In a previous investigation (1) we found that the faecal flora of patients with CD localized in the terminal ileum differs from the flora of apparently healthy subjects by higher numbers of anaerobic gram-negative rods [Bacteroides, Fusobacterium] and of anaerobic coccoid rods [species of Eubacterium and Peptostreptococcus]. Neither duration of illness nor ileocaecal resection had an effect on flora composition and it appears that the Crohn flora is permanently abnormal. To investigate whether prolonged intimate contact with a CD patient has an effect on the flora of familial household contacts we analysed the flora of married patients, their spouses and children and of unmarried patients, their parents and siblings. The preliminary results are presented in this paper.