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Electron Microscopic Study of the Adherence Properties of Lactobacillus acidophilus
Author(s) -
HOOD S. K.,
ZOTTOLA E. A.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of food science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1750-3841
pISSN - 0022-1147
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1987.tb06728.x
Subject(s) - lactobacillus acidophilus , strain (injury) , transmission electron microscopy , scanning electron microscope , materials science , electron microscope , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , composite material , nanotechnology , biology , probiotic , anatomy , genetics , physics , optics
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to observe the means by which three strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus adhere to surfaces. When observed with SEM, all strains adhered to glass coverslips; however, no attachment fibrils were seen. When viewed with TEM, strain BG2F04 showed a polysaccharide (PS) material outside the cell wall. This strain had previously been shown to adhere strongly to human intestinal tissue cells, while strain Lac 12 had shown weak adherence, and strain NCFM did not adhere. The PS layer on strain Lac 12 was variable, and a PS layer on NCFM could not be seen. These observations suggested that this PS material may be involved in the adherence of strain BG2F04 to surfaces.