Lactobacillus Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Lactobacillus, including details on probiotics, digestion, diet, health, lactobacillus acidophilus.

Development of a strain-specific assay for detection of viable Lactobacillus sp. HOFG1 after application to cattle feed.

Flint JF, Angert ER

Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Wing Hall Ithaca, NY 14853, United States.

A strain-specific assay was developed for the detection of viable Lactobacillus on cattle feed. The DNA sequences of the 16S rRNA gene and four different 16S/23S rRNA intergenic spacer regions (ISR) from Lactobacillus sp. HOFG1 were determined. Based on these sequences, a strain-specific primer was designed for the amplification of one of the ISRs. When combined with a Lactobacillus group primer, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay detected only Lactobacillus sp. HOFG1 and not other closely related L. animalis or L. murinus strains. The feed assay uses a combination of enrichment culturing and PCR to detect and enumerate viable Lactobacillus sp. HOFG1 after its application onto cattle feed. The high degree of primer specificity and use of selective culturing allows for the detection of viable Lactobacillus which is useful in tracking bacteria applied to complex feed mixtures that contain a high background of endogenous bacteria.

Published 21 February 2005 in J Microbiol Methods, 61(2): 235-43.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Lactobacillus Research Today. All Rights Reserved.