Genome Sequences of Three Lactobacillus Species Strains of the Stomach of the White-Footed Deermouse (Peromyscus leucopus).

Three colony types of Lactobacillus were isolated from the stomach of LL colony stock Peromyscus leucopus deermice, a reservoir for several human zoonoses. Genome sequences revealed two isolates to be new strains of Lactobacillus animalis and Lactobacillus reuteri The third was distinct from known species and was provisionally designated Lactobacillus sp. strain LL6

The dynamics of vaginal and rectal Lactobacillus spp. flora in subsequent trimesters of pregnancy in healthy Polish women, assessed using the Sanger sequencing method

Background Lactobacilli play an important role in maintaining vaginal health and protection against bacterial infections in the genital tract. The aim of this study is to show the dynamics of changes of the vaginal and rectal Lactobacillus flora during pregnancy by using the Sanger sequencing method. Method The study included 31 healthy pregnant women without clinical signs of genitourinary infections. The material was taken in the three trimesters of pregnancy by vaginal and rectal swabs and grown on the MRS agar quantitatively to estimate the number of Lactobacillus spp. [CFU/ml]. Afterwards, 3 to 8 morphologically different lactobacilli colonies were taken for identification. Bacterial species identification was performed by 16 s rDNA sequence fragment analyses using the Sanger method. Results Among the patients tested, the most common species colonizing the vagina in the first trimester were: L. crispatus 29%, L. gasseri 19.4% and L. rhamnosus 16.1%, in the second trimester: L. crispatus 51.6%, L. gasseri 25.8%, L. rhamnosus 19.4% and L. amylovorus 16.1%, and in the third trimester the most common Lactobacillus species were: L. crispatus 25.8%, L. gasseri 25.8% and L. johnsonii 19.4%. In rectal species, the number decreased in the second and third trimesters in comparison to the first trimester (p = 0.003). An analysis of rectal dynamics showed that in the first trimester, the most common species were: L. johnsonii 19.4%, and L. plantarum 9.7%, in the second trimester: L. crispatus 9.7% and L. mucosae 6.5%, and in the third trimester: L. casei 9.7% and L. rhamnosus 9.7%. Individual dynamics of the Lactobacillus species composition showed variability, characterized by continuous, intermittent, or periodic colonization. The patients examined were mostly colonized by three Lactobacillus species in vagina (32.3%), whereas for the rectum, one Lactobacillus species during the whole pregnancy duration was common (32.3%). Conclusion This study showed that in the examined group of healthy, pregnant Polish women, the vaginal Lactobacillus flora, both qualitative and quantitative, was stable during the three subsequent trimesters. In contrast, the number of rectal Lactobacillus species dramatically decreased after the first trimester

Screening and characterization of Lactobacillus strains producing large amounts of exopolysaccharides

A total of 182 Lactobacillus strains were screened for production of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) by a new method: growth in liquid media with high sugar concentrations. Sixty EPS-positive strains were identified; 17 strains produced more than 100 mg/l soluble EPS. Sucrose was an excellent substrate for abundant EPS synthesis. The ability to produce glucans appears to be widespread in the genus Lactobacillus. The monosaccharide composition of EPS produced by Lactobacillus reuteri strain LB 121 varied with the growth conditions (solid compared to liquid medium) and the sugar substrates (sucrose or raffinose) supplied in the medium. Strain LB 121 produced both a glucan and a fructan on sucrose, but only a fructan on raffinose. This is the first report of fructan production by a Lactobacillus species. EPS production increased with increasing sucrose concentrations and involved extracellular sucrase-type enzymes.

The significance of Lactobacillus crispatus and L. vaginalis for vaginal health and the negative effect of recent sex: a cross-sectional descriptive study across groups of African women

Background: Women in sub-Saharan Africa are vulnerable to acquiring HIV infection and reproductive tract infections. Bacterial vaginosis (BV), a disruption of the vaginal microbiota, has been shown to be strongly associated with HIV infection. Risk factors related to potentially protective or harmful microbiota species are not known. Methods: We present cross-sectional quantitative polymerase chain reaction data of the Lactobacillus genus, five Lactobacillus species, and three BV-related bacteria (Gardnerella vaginalis, Atopobium vaginae, and Prevotella bivia) together with Escherichia coli and Candida albicans in 426 African women across different groups at risk for HIV. We selected a reference group of adult HIV-negative women at average risk for HIV acquisition and compared species variations in subgroups of adolescents, HIV-negative pregnant women, women engaging in traditional vaginal practices, sex workers and a group of HIV-positive women on combination antiretroviral therapy. We explored the associations between presence and quantity of the bacteria with BV by Nugent score, in relation to several factors of known or theoretical importance. Results: The presence of species across Kenyan, South African and Rwandan women was remarkably similar and few differences were seen between the two groups of reference women in Kenya and South Africa. The Rwandan sex workers and HIV-positive women had the highest Gardnerella vaginalis presence (p = 0.006). Pregnant women had a higher Lactobacillus genus mean log (7.01 genome equivalents (geq)/ml) compared to the reference women (6.08 geq/ml). L. vaginalis (43%) was second to L. iners (81.9%) highly present in women with a normal Nugent score. Recent sexual exposure negatively affected the presence of Lactobacillus crispatus (<0.001), L. vaginalis (p = 0.001), and Lactobacillus genus (p < 0.001). Having more than one sexual partner in the last three months was associated with an increased prevalence of Gardnerella vaginalis (p = 0.044) and L. iners (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Although the composition of species across the studied African countries was similar, the presence of protective species i.e. Lactobacillus crispatus and L. vaginalis in women with a normal Nugent score appeared lower compared to non-African studies. Furthermore, Lactobacillus species were negatively affected by sexual behavioural. Strategies to support protective Lactobacillus species are urgently needed

rRNA gene restriction patterns as a characterization tool for Lactobacillus sake strains producing ropy slime

http://www.elsevier.nl/locate/01681605The rRNA gene restriction patterns (ribotypes) of 69 ropy slime producing Lactobacillus sake strains isolated mainly from vacuum-packaged meat products of ten meat plants were determined. Ribotypes of these spoilage bacteria were compared to the corresponding pat-terns of non-ropy L. sake strains, and also to other species of the genus Lactobacillus, Carnobacterium and Weissella associated with meat products. Ribotyping divided the ropy slime-producing L. sake strains into four characteristic groups corresponding to the phenotypic carbohydrate grouping. The major group was contaminating nine plants located in different parts of Finland and no association between certain ribotypes and individual plants was detected. Dif-ferences between ribotypes of slime producing and non-ropy strains of L. sake group sharing the same carbohydrate pattern were not found. Otherwise ribotyping distinguished the ropy slime producing strains from the non-ropy L. sake reference strains. All L. sake strains were distinguished from other species of the genus Lactobacillus, Carnobacterium and Weissella by characteristic band-ing patterns obtained especially with Hind III digestion. These results suggest that ribotyping is a suitable method for detection and surveillance of the contamination of ropy slime producing L. sake strains but the patterns alone cannot be used as markers of slime production capability. Comparison of ribotypes between differ-ent species of the genus Lactobacillus suggest that ribotyping may also be a suitable method for species identification within the genus Lactobacillus

Genome sequences of five Lactobacillus sp. isolates from traditional Turkish sourdough

A high level of variation in microflora can be observed in profiles of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from sourdoughs. Here, we present draft genome sequences of Lactobacillus reuteri E81, L. reuteri LR5A, L. rhamnosus LR2, L. plantarum PFC-311, and the novel Lactobacillus sp. strain PFC-70, isolated from traditional Turkish backslopped wheat sourdoughs. © 2018 Dertli et al

Lactic Acid Bacteria and Yeast Inocula Modulate the Volatile Profile of Spanish-Style Green Table Olive Fermentations

In this work, Manzanilla Spanish-style green table olive fermentations were inoculated with Lactobacillus pentosus LPG1, Lactobacillus pentosus Lp13, Lactobacillus plantarum Lpl15, the yeast Wickerhanomyces anomalus Y12 and a mixed culture of all them. After fermentation (65 days), their volatile profiles in brines were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. A total of 131 volatile compounds were found, but only 71 showed statistical differences between at least, two fermentation processes. The major chemical groups were alcohols (32), ketones (14), aldehydes (nine), and volatile phenols (nine). Results showed that inoculation with Lactobacillus strains, especially L. pentosus Lp13, reduced the formation of volatile compounds. On the contrary, inoculation with W. anomalus Y12 increased their concentrations with respect to the spontaneous process, mainly of 1-butanol, 2-phenylethyl acetate, ethanol, and 2-methyl-1-butanol. Furthermore, biplot and biclustering analyses segregated fermentations inoculated with Lp13 and Y12 from the rest of the processes. The use of sequential lactic acid bacteria and yeasts inocula, or their mixture, in Spanish-style green table olive fermentation could be advisable practice for producing differentiated and high-quality products with improved aromatic profile.Gobierno de España-OliFilm-AGL-2013-48300-

Global analysis of mannitol 2-dehydrogenase in lactobacillus reuteri crl 1101 during mannitol production through enzymatic, genetic and proteomic approaches

Several plants, fungi, algae, and certain bacteria produce mannitol, a polyol derived from fructose. Mannitol has multiple industrial applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and medical industries, being mainly used as a non-metabolizable sweetener in foods. Many heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria synthesize mannitol when an alternative electron acceptor such as fructose is present in the medium. In previous work, we reported the ability of Lactobacillus reuteri CRL 1101 to efficiently produce mannitol from sugarcane molasses as carbon source at constant pH of 5.0; the activity of the enzyme mannitol 2-dehydrogenase (MDH) responsible for the fructose conversion into mannitol being highest during the log cell growth phase. Here, a detailed assessment of the MDH activity and relative expression of the mdh gene during the growth of L. reuteri CRL 1101 in the presence of fructose is presented. It was observed that MDH was markedly induced by the presence of fructose. A direct correlation between the maximum MDH enzyme activity and a high level of mdh transcript expression during the log-phase of cells grown in a fructose-containing chemically defined medium was detected. Furthermore, two proteomic approaches (2DE and shotgun proteomics) applied in this study confirmed the inducible expression of MDH in L. reuteri. A global study of the effect of fructose on activity, mdh gene, and protein expressions of MDH in L. reuteri is thus for the first time presented. This work represents a deep insight into the polyol formation by a Lactobacillus strain with biotechnological potential in the nutraceutics and pharmaceutical areas.Fil: Ortiz, María Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Centro de Referencia Para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Bleckwedel, Juliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Centro de Referencia Para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Fadda, Silvina G.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Centro de Referencia Para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Picariello, Gianluca. Istituto Di Scienze Dell'alimentazione; ItaliaFil: Hebert, Elvira Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Centro de Referencia Para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Raya, Raul Ricardo. University of Toronto; Canadá. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Centro de Referencia Para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Mozzi, Fernanda Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucuman. Centro de Referencia Para Lactobacilos; Argentin

First Trimester Vaginal Microbiome as Pregnancy Outcome Predictor

• We have developed clinical definiKons of healthy and complicated pregnancies based on pathologies that will be used in future VaHMP studies. • Although one study7 found dysbioKc vagitypes in all three semesters of women who had PPROM, none of our PPROM subjects had a BVAB1 vagitype, and there were equal Gardnerella vaginalis vagitypes in both the controls and subjects who had PPROM (Fig. 2). • While there were more PPROM subjects with Lactobacillus iners vagitypes, this Lactobacillus is less protecKve as it can coexist with pathogenic anaerobic bacteria. • “Candidatus Mycoplasma girerdii”, Lactobacillus jensenii, and Ureaplasma were significantly associated with PPROM in the first trimester samples as well as in all samples collected (Fig. 3). “Candidatus Mycoplasma girerdii” is strongly linked with Trichomonas vaginalis and elicits a strong pro-inflammatory response8 which could explain the etiology of preterm delivery associated with trichomoniasis