Gastric flora of fasting healthy subjects and its relations to pH.

Samples of gastric juice were collected from 60 fasting subjects ranging from 10 to 80 years of age. Seventy-six per cent of the gastric cultures were positive. Natural gastric flora were classified into those organisms found frequently and sporadically. Effect of gastric pH on bacterial growth has indicated an increase in the number of samples showing growth above pH 5. Yeast was the only organism showing maximum growth at low pH. The age distribution of subjects in relation to positive gastric cultures was also studied (JPMA 30:113, 1980).