et al,' in which the authors demonstrated an altered character in the small bowel's bacterial flora in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. However, the authors did not demonstrate the presence of bacterial overgrowth. The syndrome of bacterial overgrowth is characterised by diarrhoea with malabsorption. The mechanism by which the bacterial overgrowth causes symptoms is not known. These symptoms...

In the last 3 decades, there has been a growing appreciation for the role of gut bacteria in gastrointestinal disease. Although inflammatory bowel disease and peptic ulcer disease have established a role for gut bacteria for more than 20 years, there is now increasing evidence that intestinal bacteria may play a role in irritable bowel syndrome as well. In this review, the current evidence for ...

Recent investigations have shown that bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine is associated with a number of functional somatic disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. A number of controlled studies have shown that enteric-coated peppermint oil (ECPO) is of benefit in the treatment of IBS. However, despite evidence of strong antimicro...

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a clinical syndrome in human medicine. It is associated with symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, or weight loss caused by an abnormal accumulation of small bowel bacteria. A similar syndrome has been reported to occur in dogs and cats. The diagnosis of SIBO relies on documenting higher numbers of proximal small intestinal bacteria than are normal for ...

This paper describes the first case of common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) and AA amyloidosis. A recently treated tuberculosis, and chronic inflammation induced by frequent respiratory tract infections, were thought to be responsible for the amyloidosis. No other reason for this condition could be detected. Although T cell dysfunction in some CVID patients has been reported, pulmonary tuber...