Objective: To determine the changes in fecal Bifidobacterium species in patients with type 2 diabetes in comparison with healthy individuals.
Methods: The bacterial DNA were extracted from the fecal samples from 50 type 2 diabetic patients and 30 healthy individuals. Real-time quantitative PCR was employed to determine the copy numbers of the bacteria in the fecal samples using 16S rRNA-targeted genus- and species-specific PCR primers for a selected group of fecal Bifidobacterium species including total Bifidobacterium, B.longum, B.breve, B.adolescent, and B. infantis.
Results: The diabetic group had significantly lower copy numbers of total Bifidobacterium and B.adolescent compared to the healthy individuals (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Type 2 diabetic patients have a lowered number of Bifidobacterium species in the gut microflora.