Feces | Biology - Britannica

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External Websites

• National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - The Characterization of Feces and Urine: A Review of the Literature to Inform Advanced Treatment Technology
• Cell Press - iScience - Dynamic nature of viral and bacterial communities in human faeces
• Mustansiriyah University - Stool Analysis (PDF)
• Frontiers - Thermophilic Composting of Human Feces: Development of Bacterial Community Composition and Antimicrobial Resistance Gene Pool
• Chemistry LibreTexts - Fecal Excretion
• Healthline - Types of Poop, Color Chart, and More
• Nature Reviews Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Break the taboo with poo

feces biology Ask Anything Homework Help Also known as: excrement, faeces, stool Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors History Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything

feces, solid bodily waste discharged from the large intestine through the anus during defecation. Feces are normally removed from the body one or two times a day. About 100 to 250 grams (3 to 8 ounces) of feces are excreted by a human adult daily.

Normally, feces are made up of 75 percent water and 25 percent solid matter. About 30 percent of the solid matter consists of dead bacteria; about 30 percent consists of indigestible food matter such as cellulose; 10 to 20 percent is cholesterol and other fats; 10 to 20 percent is inorganic substances such as calcium phosphate and iron phosphate; and 2 to 3 percent is protein. Cell debris shed from the mucous membrane of the intestinal tract also passes in the waste material, as do bile pigments (bilirubin) and dead leukocytes (white blood cells). The brown colour of feces is due to the action of bacteria on bilirubin, which is the end product of the breakdown of hemoglobin (red blood cells). The odour of feces is caused by the chemicals indole, skatole, hydrogen sulfide, and mercaptans, which are produced by bacterial action.

Also spelled: faeces (Show more) Also called: excrement (Show more) Related Topics: fecal microbiota transplant manure stool culture steatorrhea fecalith (Show more) See all related content

Many diseases and disorders can affect bowel function and produce abnormalities in the feces. Constipation is characterized by infrequent evacuations and the production of excessively hard and dry feces, while diarrhea results in frequent defecation and excessively soft, watery feces. Bleeding in the stomach or intestines may result in the passage of blood with the stool, which appears dark red, tarry, or black. Fatty or greasy stools usually indicate pancreatic or small-intestine afflictions. Typhoid, cholera, and amoebic dysentery are among diseases spread by the contamination of food with the feces of infected persons.

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