| IBS-D n = 27 | IBS-C n = 19 | Control n = 27 | p Value Kruskall–Wallis | |
| Total bacteria | 218 (189) | 159 (249) | 130 (145) | 0.05 |
| Bacteroides | 67 (62) | 74 (81) | 16 (40) | 0.001 |
| Clostridia | 40 (57) | 66 (79) | 25 (43) | 0.010 |
| Bifidobacteria | 24 (33) | 50 (95) | 36 (35) | 0.019 |
| Lactobacillus | 6 (40) | 6 (23) | 9 (18) | 0.90 |
| E coli | 12 (25) | 11 (30) | 8 (16) | 0.44 |
p Values of <0.025 were considered significant. IBS-C, constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome; IBS-D, diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome; IQR, interquartile range.