Lactobacillus crustorum KH: Novel Prospective Probiotic Strain Isolated from Iranian Traditional Dairy Products

In recent years, exploring novel probiotic strains for therapeutic intervention has been raised due to the significant increase in market demand. This study aimed to investigate the certain probiotic properties of 15 Lactobacillus isolates from Iranian traditional dairy products. Among them, a novel potential probiotic strain was isolated and identified as Lactobacillus crustorum. The characteristics of potential probiotics were examined in terms of resistance to acidity, bile, and salinity as well as antibiotic tolerance and antibacterial activity. L. crustorum KH has shown tolerance property to bile (0.3 % w), acidity (pH 2-9), and salinity (1-5 % NaCl) and strong antibacterial activity against tested enteropathogens by well-diffusion assay. Furthermore, in vivo study and histological assays were performed to study whether live and heat-killed cells of L. crustorum KH are able to protect against the challenge of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the gastrointestinal tract of mice used as an experimental model. Therefore, heat-killed and live cells of L. crustorum KH were inoculated by gavage to different groups of 4-6-week-old female BALB/c mice in doses of 108 colony-forming unit (CFU)/dose. Thereafter, these mice were challenged with E. coli O157:H7 also inoculated in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of the animals. The results showed that heat-killed cells of L. crustorum KH exert a protective effect against E. coli O157:H7 colonization at different degrees, being lower than that produced by viable cells.