Lactobacilli on Plants

Abstract

The distribution, enumeration, and identification of lactobacilli on vegetable plants were studied in an area described geographically as being subtropical and moist. The lactobacilli were obtained, by means of quantitative enrichment procedures in Rogosa's SL broth, from 35.3% of all samples incubated at 32 C, and from 15.4% of the samples incubated at 45 C. Less than 10 lactobacilli/g of plant material were enumerated in 54% of all positive samples. The lactobacilli were found much less frequently and in lower numbers than were streptococci or Leuconostoc mesenteroides . The most frequently isolated lactobacillus was very simular to, but not identical with, Lactobacillus fermenti . It was aerogenic, grew well at both 15 and 45 C, fermented arabinose, lactose, and sucrose, and liberated ammonia from arginine. Of the identified species, L. plantarum, L. fermenti , and L. brevis were the most frequently isolated, whereas L. casei, L. viridescens, L. cellobiosus, L. salivarius , and L. buchneri were obtained from small numbers of samples. The widespread but sporadic distribution of lactobacilli in low numbers seems to indicate that these organisms do not normally thrive on plant surfaces. A ternary cycle, beginning with intestinal waste, followed by mechanical distribution to and among plants, and return to the host via the oral cavity, is suggested.

Biogenic action of Lactobacillus plantarum SBT2227 promotes sleep in Drosophila melanogaster

“…L. plantarum is a Gram-positive LAB commonly found in plants and fermented food ( Guidone et al., 2014 ; Mundt and Hammer, 1968 ) and is also known to be one of the major intestinal bacteria of D. melanogaster ( Chandler et al., 2011 ; Cox and Gilmore, 2007 ). As fruit flies may ingest L. plantarum from fermented fruits in the field, it is highly possible that this lactobacillus species influences the biological activities of flies.…”

Impact of thistle rennet from Carlina acanthifolia All. subsp. acanthifolia on bacterial diversity and dynamics of a specialty Italian raw ewes' milk cheese

“…To date, there is a paucity of data on the bacterial biota colonizing the aerial surfaces of thistles and thistle rennets. In 1968, Mundt and Hammer (1968) first enumerated and identified lactobacilli on plant surfaces; in such a pioneering systematic study, L. plantarum, L. fermenti and L. brevis were the species most frequently isolated, whereas L. casei, L. viridescens, L. cellobiosus, L. salivarius, and L. buchneri occurred at lower frequencies. A widespread but sporadic distribution of low counts of lactobacilli in the phyllosphere of higher plants was also highlighted by the same authors.…”

Understanding the physiology of Lactobacillus plantarum at zero growth

“…Ammonium is probably not toxic for L. plantarum under the conditions studied here, as the K + concentration is high (180 mM) and L. plantarum has been shown to grow in the presence of very high NH 4 + concentration (Nicaise et al , 2008). However, L. plantarum could be intrinsically ‘programmed’ not to produce high amounts of NH 4 + under conditions of slow growth, such as those encountered in its natural habitat, in which it is found in association with plants (Mundt and Hammer, 1968; Ercolani, 1991). Production of amino acids could represent an alternative to NH 4 + excretion, as also observed in yeast, in which biosynthesis and excretion of amino acids has been identified as a detoxification mechanism against high NH 4 + concentrations (Hess et al , 2006).…”