Pediococcus acidilactici

Pediococcus acidilactici
Scientific classification
Domain:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Firmicutes
Class:	Bacilli
Order:	Lactobacillales
Family:	Lactobacillaceae
Genus:	Pediococcus
Species:	P. acidlactici
Binomial name
Pediococcus acidilactici Lindner 1887

Pediococcus acidilactici is a species of Gram-positive cocci that is often found in pairs or tetrads. P. acidilactici is a homofermentative bacterium that can grow in a wide range of pH, temperature, and osmotic pressure, therefore being able to colonize the digestive tract. It has emerged as a potential probiotic that has shown promising results in animal and human experiments, though some of the results are limited. They are commonly found in fermented vegetables, fermented dairy products, and meat.

Pediococcus acidilactici is a facultative anaerobe that grows well on deMann, Rogosa, Sharpe agar of an optimum pH of 6.2, with an overnight incubation at 37 and 45°C. It is also viable at higher temperatures up to 65°C.

This species is also acidophilic, viable at very low pH. The probiotic P. acidilactici is a facultative anaerobe with lesser sensitivity to oxygen. Pediococci exert antagonism against other microorganisms, including enteric pathogens, primarily through the production of lactic acid and secretion of bacteriocins known as pediocins.

P. acidilactici has a wide range of potential benefits which are still being studied. Though it is being used as probiotic supplements in treating constipation, diarrhea, relieving stress, and enhancing immune response among birds and small animals, human trials are still limited. P. acidilactici is also known to prevent colonization of the small intestine by pathogens such as Shigella spp., Salmonella spp., Clostridium difficile, and Escherichia coli among small animals.

P. acidilactici has been used to treat dogs with digestive disorders and also those dogs which were infected by parvovirus. Prior to treatment with orally administered mixtures of P. acidilactici and Saccharomyces boulardii, the dogs diagnosed with parvovirus infection were shown to exhibit severe gastrointestinal distress such as vomiting and bloody diarrhea. After the treatment for three days, the bloody diarrhea ceased and the dogs had solid stools.

P. acidilactici has not been stated in any literature to have toxic effects. Another potential benefit of using them as probiotics is their use as alternative medicines against infectious parasitic pathogens such as Eimeria in broiler chickens.P. acidilactici in conjunction with S. boulardii stimulates humoral immune response to produce higher Eimeria-specific antibody levels while also reducing the number of oocysts shed by possible competitive inhibition and pediocin production, which inhibit pathogenic bacteria and other Gram-positive spoilage.

...
Wikipedia