Effect of polyethylene glycol-electrolyte lavage solution on intestinal microflora.

The bacterial flora of colonic aspirates taken after oral administration of a polyethylene glycol-electrolyte lavage solution to patients undergoing colonoscopy was analyzed by standard bacteriological methods and DNA hybridization techniques. The data were compared with those for normal feces collected from the same patients the day before treatment. The results indicate that the bacterial composition of feces differs from individual to individual but is not altered by the oral intake of a polyethylene glycol-electrolyte lavage solution. This pilot study demonstrates that routine colonoscopy aspirates taken after standard colonoscopy preparation accurately reflect the microflora of feces and therefore may be used in large-scale epidemiological studies.