Abstract
Microorganisms produce a diverse range of carbohydrates, including cytoplasmic storage polymers (glycogens) and structural polymers (glycans) that make up a portion of the microbial envelope. Glycan polymers include capsular polysaccharides (if polymer tightly bound to the cell surface) or exopolysaccharides (if loosely attached to the extracellular surface). Many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria have been found to have capsular polysaccharides as virulence features. Therefore, the bacterial isolates which produce capsules cannot be considered probiotics. The capsules can be detected by various microscopy methods. Moreover, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based method can detect specific capsule gene harbored by the bacterial strain.
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Shah, R., Amaresan, N., Dwivedi, M.K. (2022). Assessment of Capsule Formation. In: Dwivedi, M.K., Amaresan, N., Sankaranarayanan, A., Begum, R. (eds) Biosafety Assessment of Probiotic Potential. Methods and Protocols in Food Science . Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2509-5_17
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