[The presence of bacteriophages in human feces and their potential importance].

Bacteriophages are widely distributed throughout the environment as well as in the bodies of humans and animals (feces, urine, saliva, sputum). Higher presence of Escherichia coli phages compared with Bacteroides fragilis and Salmonella phages was noticed in the feces of healthy human individuals and patients, mainly those with gastro-intestinal tract diseases. A strict correlation exists between the number of bacteria and of phages in the feces of healthy individuals as well as of patients with different diseases. The presence of phages in human feces correlates with the character of the coexisting disease. The frequency of phages in the feces depends on the different indicator bacterial host strains and the numbers of indicator strains. The role of bacteriophages in protecting against pathogenic microorganisms and controlling bacterial flora in the human organism is of major significance.