Neomycin Sulfate/Polymyxin B Sulfate

Rats with weight loss resulting from surgically created self-filling upper small intestinal blind loops had increased numbers of Escherichia coli and Bacteroides in the blind loop, mid-small intestine, and cecum.Counts of other organisms were not significantly elevated.Treatment of these rats for 7 days with neomycin sulfatepolymyxin B sulfate-bacitracin intragastrically or with lincomycin-HCl resulted in weight gain, reduced fecal fat excretion, and a reduction of Bacteroides, but not E. coli, count in the blind loop and small intestine.Mixed cultures from blind loops of untreated rats and isolates of Bacteroides deconjugated glycocholic acid in vitro, while mixed cultures from blind loops of treated rats or from small intestine of normalrats, and isolates of E. coli, did not.Bacteroides may be the important organism producing steatorrhea in the rat blind-loop syndrome.