Nat Commun: Large-scale whole-genome sequencing determines the relationship between lactic acid bacteria and intestinal flora in fermented food for the first time

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the basis for the production of fermented foods, and several LAB strains are considered probiotics.

The researchers determined the prevalence of LAB strains in fecal samples by analyzing 9445 metagenomes of human samples, and found that the abundance of LAB strains in fecal samples is generally low, and is related to the individual’s age, lifestyle and geographic environment.

In addition, by analyzing 666 metagenomic assembly genomes (MAGs) newly reconstructed from the fermented food microbiome, as well as 154,723 human MAGs and 193,078 reference genomes, the researchers determined the genome-based differences between food and gut microbes.

In summary, this large-scale whole-genome analysis shows that LAB strains appear in both food and intestinal environment, and are closely related to the above-mentioned microbiome, and provide evidence for the first time that fermented food can indeed be regarded as the gut microbiome LAB.

Original source:

Edoardo Pasolli, et al.