Identification of plasmalogens in Bifidobacterium longum, but not in Bifidobacterium animalis

Bifidobacterium animalis and Bifidobacterium longum administered to Wistar rats

Polyphasic taxonomic analysis of Bifidobacterium animalis and Bifidobacterium lactis reveals relatedness at the subspecies level: reclassification of Bifidobacterium animalis as Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animalis subsp. nov. and Bifidobacterium lactis as Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis subsp. nov.

The taxonomic standing of Bifidobacterium lactis and Bifidobacterium animalis was investigated using a polyphasic approach. Sixteen representatives of both taxa were found to be phenotypically similar and shared more than 70% DNA-DNA relatedness (76-100%), which reinforces the conclusions of previous studies in which B. lactis and B. animalis were considered to be one single species. However, t...

Genetic basis of tetracycline resistance in Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis.

All strains of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis described to date show medium level resistance to tetracycline. Screening of 26 strains from a variety of sources revealed the presence of tet(W) in all isolates. A transposase gene upstream of tet(W) was found in all strains, and both genes were cotranscribed in strain IPLAIC4. Mutants with increased tetracycline resistance as well as tetra...

Characterization and Exploitation of CRISPR Loci in Bifidobacterium longum

Diverse CRISPR-Cas systems provide adaptive immunity in many bacteria and most archaea, via a DNA-encoded, RNA-mediated, nucleic-acid targeting mechanism. Over time, CRISPR loci expand via iterative uptake of invasive DNA sequences into the CRISPR array during the adaptation process. These genetic vaccination cards thus provide insights into the exposure of strains to phages and plasmids in spa...

Bifidobacterium longum bacteremia in preterm infants receiving probiotics.

Administration of probiotics to premature newborns has been shown to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis and reduce all-cause mortality. In our hospital, we documented 2 cases of Bifidobacterium longum subspecies infantis bacteremia in newborns receiving probiotics. By comparative genomics, we confirmed that the strains isolated from each patient originated from the probiotics.