title: Lactobacillus strains belonging to Casei group display various adherence to enterocytes and mucus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The ability of lactobacilli to adhere to the surface of the intestine is an important functional characteristic which can largely determine the effective colonization of the intestinal tract by probiotics. The following study compares the adhesion efficiency of the twenty strains of Lactobacillus genus belonging to Casei group to the Caco-2 cells and gastrointestinal mucus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty isolates of lactobacilli belonging to Casei group were tested. The ability of bacterial cells to adhere to mucus was examined using adhesion assay to gastrointestinal mucus. Obtained results were compared with adhesion efficiency to Caco-2 cells. Phylogenetic relationship between isolates was analysed by rep-PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed large differences in adhesion efficiency between strains, as well as differences in the efficiency of adhesion to the intestinal epithelial cells and mucus. Group similarity highlighted by a rep-PCR technique does not correspond with groups of similarity in terms of the characteristics of the ability to adhere to mucus or the epithelial cells of intestinal tract.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Strains having a high adhesion efficiency to enterocytes do not always show a high adhesion efficiency to the mucus. This may indicate the presence of different and multiple factors responsible for adhesion efficiency of Lactobacillus group Casei strains to epithelial cells and mucus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Biotechnology and Microbiology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Corinna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Markowicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Biotechnology and Microbiology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Marcin T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000382:microbiology; D020895:Enterocytes / Q000382:microbiology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology; D007780:Lacticaseibacillus casei / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D058889:Molecular Typing; D009093:Mucus / Q000382:microbiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011044:Poland; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019936:Probiotics / Q000145:classification; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial
keywords: Caco-2; Lactobacillus; adhesines; adhesion; enterocytes; mucus