Bacterial ecology in the small intestine.

: A modified intubation method allowed collection of samples of human small intestinal contents with no contamination from other intestinal sites and with no exposure to air. Use of the method has disclosed strains resembling Haemophilus as among the most abundant bacteria in the small intestine of some subjects. Stimulation by bile and rapid growth under conditions simulating the natural habitat suggest that it is well adapted to upper intestinal conditions.