Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are fundamental in the production of fermented foods and several strains are regarded as probiotics. Large quantities of live LAB are consumed within fermented foods, but it is not yet known to what extent the LAB we ingest become members of the gut microbiome. By analysis of 9445 metagenomes from human samples, we demonstrate that the prevalence and abundance of LAB species in stool samples is generally low and linked to age, lifestyle, and geography, with Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactococcus lactis being most prevalent. Moreover, we identify genome-based differences between food and gut microbes by considering 666 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) newly reconstructed from fermented food microbiomes along with 154,723 human MAGs and 193,078 reference genomes. Our large-scale genome-wide analysis demonstrates that closely related LAB strains occur in both food and gut environments and provides unprecedented evidence that fermented foods can be indeed regarded as a possible source of LAB for the gut microbiome.
", "keywords": ["Primates", "0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "0303 health sciences", "Science", "Probiotics", "Q", "gut microbiome", "Article", "Gastrointestinal Microbiome", "lactic acid bacteria", "Lactococcus lactis", "03 medical and health sciences", "Lactobacillales", "Databases", " Genetic", "Food Microbiology", "Animals", "Humans", "Metagenome", "Streptococcus thermophilus", "Fermented Foods", "[PHYS.ASTR] Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]", "Life Style", "genome analysis"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://iris.unitn.it/bitstream/11572/269813/1/s41467-020-16438-8.pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.iris.unina.it/bitstream/11588/811717/2/NatComm%2c2020_LABfoodgut.pdf"}, {"href": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16438-8.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16438-8"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Nature%20Communications", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1038/s41467-020-16438-8", "name": "item", "description": "10.1038/s41467-020-16438-8", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1038/s41467-020-16438-8"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-05-25T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1093/femsre/fuaa015", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:18:10Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-05-20", "title": "The food-gut axis: lactic acid bacteria and their link to food, the gut microbiome and human health", "description": "ABSTRACTLactic acid bacteria (LAB) are present in foods, the environment and the animal gut, although fermented foods (FFs) are recognized as the primary niche of LAB activity. Several LAB strains have been studied for their health-promoting properties and are employed as probiotics. FFs are recognized for their potential beneficial effects, which we review in this article. They are also an important source of LAB, which are ingested daily upon FF consumption. In this review, we describe the diversity of LAB and their occurrence in food as well as the gut microbiome. We discuss the opportunities to study LAB diversity and functional properties by considering the availability of both genomic and metagenomic data in public repositories, as well as the different latest computational tools for data analysis. In addition, we discuss the role of LAB as potential probiotics by reporting the prevalence of key genomic features in public genomes and by surveying the outcomes of LAB use in clinical trials involving human subjects. Finally, we highlight the need for further studies aimed at improving our knowledge of the link between LAB-fermented foods and the human gut from the perspective of health promotion.
", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "0303 health sciences", "human microbiome", "Review Article", "Gastrointestinal Microbiome", "3. Good health", "lactic acid bacteria", "03 medical and health sciences", "probiotics", "Health", "Lactobacillales", "food microbiome; human microbiome; lactic acid bacteria; probiotics", "food microbiome", "Food Microbiology", "Humans"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://www.iris.unina.it/bitstream/11588/811718/2/FEMSMicroRev%2c2020_LABfoodgut.pdf"}, {"href": "http://academic.oup.com/femsre/article-pdf/44/4/454/37084083/fuaa015.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1093/femsre/fuaa015"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/FEMS%20Microbiology%20Reviews", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1093/femsre/fuaa015", "name": "item", "description": "10.1093/femsre/fuaa015", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1093/femsre/fuaa015"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-06-18T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/s41598-023-49194-y", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:17:38Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-12-13", "title": "Unraveling the genome of Bacillus velezensis MEP218, a strain producing fengycin homologs with broad antibacterial activity: comprehensive comparative genome analysis", "description": "AbstractBacillus sp. MEP218, a soil bacterium with high potential as a source of bioactive molecules, produces mostly C16\uffe2\uff80\uff93C17 fengycin and other cyclic lipopeptides (CLP) when growing under previously optimized culture conditions. This work addressed the elucidation of the genome sequence of MEP218 and its taxonomic classification. The genome comprises 3,944,892\uffc2\uffa0bp, with a total of 3474 coding sequences and a G\uffe2\uff80\uff89+\uffe2\uff80\uff89C content of 46.59%. Our phylogenetic analysis to determine the taxonomic position demonstrated that the assignment of the MEP218 strain to Bacillus velezensis species provides insights into its evolutionary context and potential functional attributes. The in silico genome analysis revealed eleven gene clusters involved in the synthesis of secondary metabolites, including non-ribosomal CLP (fengycins and surfactin), polyketides, terpenes, and bacteriocins. Furthermore, genes encoding phytase, involved in the release of phytic phosphate for plant and animal nutrition, or other enzymes such as cellulase, xylanase, and alpha 1\uffe2\uff80\uff934 glucanase were detected. In vitro antagonistic assays against Salmonella typhimurium, Acinetobacter baumanii, Escherichia coli, among others, demonstrated a broad spectrum of C16\uffe2\uff80\uff93C17 fengycin produced by MEP218. MEP218 genome sequence analysis expanded our understanding of the diversity and genetic relationships within the Bacillus genus and updated the Bacillus databases with its unique trait to produce antibacterial fengycins and its potential as a resource of biotechnologically useful enzymes.Beneficial bacteria promise to promote the health and productivity of farmed fish species. However, the impact on host physiology is largely strain-dependent, and studies on Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), a commercially farmed salmonid species, are lacking. In this study, 10 candidate probiotic strains were subjected to in vitro assays, small-scale growth trials, and behavioral analysis with juvenile Arctic char to examine the impact of probiotic supplementation on fish growth, behavior and the gut microbiome. Most strains showed high tolerance to gastric juice and fish bile acid, as well as high auto-aggregation activity, which are important probiotic characteristics. However, they neither markedly altered the core gut microbiome, which was dominated by three bacterial species, nor detectably colonized the gut environment after the 4-week probiotic treatment. Despite a lack of long-term colonization, the presence of the bacterial strains showed either beneficial or detrimental effects on the host through growth rate enhancement or reduction, as well as changes in fish motility under confinement. This study offers insights into the effect of bacterial strains on a salmonid host and highlights three strains, Carnobacterium divergens V41, Pediococcus acidilactici ASG16, and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ISCAR-07436, for future research into growth promotion of salmonid fish through probiotic supplementation.
", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "03 medical and health sciences", "Mycoplasma", "probiotics", "aquaculture", "behavior", "growth", "salmonid", "gut microbiome", "14. Life underwater", "Microbiology", "QR1-502"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.912473"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Frontiers%20in%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3389/fmicb.2022.912473", "name": "item", "description": "10.3389/fmicb.2022.912473", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3389/fmicb.2022.912473"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-07-19T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/nu11061252", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:20:46Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-06-03", "title": "Analysis of Health Benefits Conferred by Lactobacillus Species from Kefir", "description": "Lactobacilli are among the most common microorganisms found in kefir; a traditional fermented milk beverage produced locally in many locations around the world. Kefir has been associated with a wide range of purported health benefits; such as antimicrobial activity; cholesterol metabolism; immunomodulation; anti-oxidative effects; anti-diabetic effects; anti-allergenic effects; and tumor suppression. This review critically examines and assesses these claimed benefits and mechanisms with regard to particular Lactobacillus species and/or strains that have been derived from kefir; as well as detailing further potential avenues for experimentation.
", "keywords": ["kefiranofaciens", "0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "0303 health sciences", "Probiotics", "Review", "Kefiri", "Probiotic", "6. Clean water", "plantarum", "3. Good health", "kefiri", "Lactobacillus", "03 medical and health sciences", "Kefir", "Species Specificity", "Kefiranofaciens", "Humans", "Plantarum", "probiotic"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/6/1252/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11061252"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Nutrients", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/nu11061252", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/nu11061252", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/nu11061252"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-06-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "11336/226991", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-05-23T16:24:35Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2023-12-13", "title": "Unraveling the genome of Bacillus velezensis MEP218, a strain producing fengycin homologs with broad antibacterial activity: comprehensive comparative genome analysis", "description": "AbstractBacillus sp. MEP218, a soil bacterium with high potential as a source of bioactive molecules, produces mostly C16\uffe2\uff80\uff93C17 fengycin and other cyclic lipopeptides (CLP) when growing under previously optimized culture conditions. This work addressed the elucidation of the genome sequence of MEP218 and its taxonomic classification. The genome comprises 3,944,892\uffc2\uffa0bp, with a total of 3474 coding sequences and a G\uffe2\uff80\uff89+\uffe2\uff80\uff89C content of 46.59%. Our phylogenetic analysis to determine the taxonomic position demonstrated that the assignment of the MEP218 strain to Bacillus velezensis species provides insights into its evolutionary context and potential functional attributes. The in silico genome analysis revealed eleven gene clusters involved in the synthesis of secondary metabolites, including non-ribosomal CLP (fengycins and surfactin), polyketides, terpenes, and bacteriocins. Furthermore, genes encoding phytase, involved in the release of phytic phosphate for plant and animal nutrition, or other enzymes such as cellulase, xylanase, and alpha 1\uffe2\uff80\uff934 glucanase were detected. In vitro antagonistic assays against Salmonella typhimurium, Acinetobacter baumanii, Escherichia coli, among others, demonstrated a broad spectrum of C16\uffe2\uff80\uff93C17 fengycin produced by MEP218. MEP218 genome sequence analysis expanded our understanding of the diversity and genetic relationships within the Bacillus genus and updated the Bacillus databases with its unique trait to produce antibacterial fengycins and its potential as a resource of biotechnologically useful enzymes.