ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the changes in fecal Bifidobacterium species in patients with type 2 diabetes in comparison with healthy individuals.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The bacterial DNA were extracted from the fecal samples from 50 type 2 diabetic patients and 30 healthy individuals. Real-time quantitative PCR was employed to determine the copy numbers of the bacteria in the fecal samples using 16S rRNA-targeted genus- and species-specific PCR primers for a selected group of fecal Bifidobacterium species including total Bifidobacterium, B.longum, B.breve, B.adolescent, and B. infantis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The diabetic group had significantly lower copy numbers of total Bifidobacterium and B.adolescent compared to the healthy individuals (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Type 2 diabetic patients have a lowered number of Bifidobacterium species in the gut microflora.</p>