Comparison of four microbial enzymes in Clostridia and Bacteroides isolated from human feces.

The activities of four microbial enzymes (azoreductase, nitroreductase, beta-glucuronidase, and beta-glucosidase) in major anaerobic members of human fecal microflora were quantified and the influence of the host factors on expression of these microbial enzyme activities was also investigated. Clostridium paraputrificum and C. clostridiiforme showed much higher activities than other fecal anaerobes tested. Nitroreductase activity in C. paraputrificum isolated from fecal specimens of patients with colon cancer was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that in the clostridia isolated from healthy subjects and the subjects given high beef diets. However, the activities of some microorganisms tested showed marked differences in each strain.