摘要：Along with other endogenous and exogenous factors which may interfere in the regulation of various pathways that control the intestinal microflora, physical and psychological stress seem to play a crucial role. In order to estimate the influence of psychological stress on the intestinal microflora composition, repeated restraint stress was used as a stress paradigm. Faecal indicator bacteria (aerobic and anaerobic) were used to assess the microbiological profile of the intestinal flora. Faecal samples were collected from adult male Wistar rats (Kuo/Ioa/rr) before and after repeated restraint stress. Serial dilutions were performed in Ringer solution followed by spreading on MacConkey agar that had been incubated at 37C overnight. An aliquot of each solution was heated at 75C for 10 min, followed by spreading in lactose-sulfite (LS) broth. Numbers of Clostridium perfringens were estimated by performing decimal dilutions in the LS broth that had been incubated in a water bath at 46C overnight. Characteristic colonies of Escherichia coli were counted and identified using the API 20E System. Numbers of C. perfringens were estimated and compared to those of E. coli . Higher numbers of vegetative forms of the anaerobic bacterial indicator C. perfringens were found in stress-exposed animals as compared with controls and with pre-stress conditions. The end of the stress exposure found the numbers of C. perfringens back to initial levels or even below.Key words: stress, intestinal microflora, Clostridium perfringens, rat.
