La1, but not BB536, adheres to the colonic mucosa, and affects intestinal microbiota by reducing the concentration of pathogens and modulates local immunity.

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Aims:  To assess the frequency of erythromycin‐ and tetracycline‐resistant lactobacilli in Italian fermented dry sausages. Methods and Results:  We isolated lactobacilli colonies from 20 salami from the north of Italy (Piacenza province) using selective medium supplemented with erythromycin or tetracycline; we determined the minimum inhibitory concentration and searched for selected erythromycin and tetracycline resistance genes. A total of 312 lactobacilli colonies were genetically ascribed to 60 different strains belonging to seven Lactobacillus species. Lactobacillus sakei, Lactobacillus curvatus and Lactobacillus plantarum were the most frequently found species. Thirty strains (50%) were phenotypically resistant to erythromycin, 45 (75%) to tetracycline and 27 (45%) were resistant to both. The most frequently detected resistance genes were tet(M) and erm(B). Conclusions:  This study provides evidence of the presence of tetracycline‐ and, to a lesser extent, erythromycin‐resistant lactobacilli in fermented dry sausages produced in northern Italy. Significance and Impact of the Study:  Although these antibiotic‐resistant lactobacilli could serve as reservoir organisms, in our study, 16 of 20 salami could be considered safe in regard to possible antibiotic resistance gene transfer to pathogens, whereas 4 of 20 could represent a borderline situation.

Background: Use of synbiotic preparations as dietary supplement is believed to be a valid approach to restore and maintain colonic microflora. However, only few papers have been published on the assessment of these food supplements and none of them have used molecular biology techniques to evaluate the effects of the probiotic components.

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