RESUMO
In the present paper, the taxonomic classification of 134 lactobacilli isolates from vaginal samples of 200 women of Tucumán, Argentina, is reported. They were clustered in three metabolic groups of the genus Lactobacillus, most belonging to the obligately homofermentative group (56%), mainly represented by Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii and L. acidophilus. In the facultatively heterofermentative group (24%), the dominant species were L. paracasei subsp. paracasei and L. agilis, and in the obligately heterofermentative group (20%), L. brevis was the dominant species. All strains were studied for surface characteristics and adhesion-predicting properties. A correlation between the methods employed for hydrophobicity testing of the different isolates (Microbial Adhesion to Hydrocarbons and Salt Aggregation Test) is reported. Most strains were highly hydrophobic. Their hemagglutination capability with human erythrocytes was also tested, which was positive only for a few strains. Some isolates were self-aggregating. From our results, strains that shared the properties assayed were selected for further testing of some other desirable characteristics, such as antagonistic substance production, adhesion to biological substrates, and appropriate technological properties, to suggest the elaboration of a probiotic for the vaginal tract.
RESUMO
Four strains of enterococci isolated from Argentina regional cheeses were found to produce bacteriocins that were active against several lactic acid bacteria. Among them, enterocin CRL35 produced by Enterococcus faecium CRL35 was also inhibitory to foodborne pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus . These antimicrobial compounds were sensitive to proteases and heat stable; inhibitory activity of enterocin CRL35 showed also to be stable at extreme pHs, heat treatment, and storage in different conditions.
