Lactic Acid Bacteria Enriched from Human Gastric Biopsies

The purpose of this paper was to check if viable bacteria, in particular lactic acid bacteria (LAB), could be enriched from biopsies obtained from healthy gastroscopy patients. Gastric biopsies were obtained from 13 gastroscopy patients and subjected to an anaerobic or microaerophilic enrichment procedure utilizing the Portable Microbe Enrichment Unit (PMEU). Profuse microbial growth was observed in most cases. Samples plated on MRS showed high numbers of LAB. The most common species characterized were Lactobacillus reuteri, Lact. salivarius, and Streptococcus salivarius. The results demonstrate a continuous presence of viable LAB in healthy stomach. The species are similar to those traditionally used in food applications. The gastric LAB strains could have a potential in developing probiotic foods aimed specially on the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract.