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Survival ofLactobacillus species (strain GG) in human gastrointestinal tract

Digestive Diseases and Sciences volume 37, pages 121–128 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

A newly isolated strain of a species ofLactobacillus of human origin, designated GG (Lactobacillus GG), has been studied to determine its ability to survive in the human gastrointestinal tract. When fed to 76 volunteers as a frozen concentrate or as a fermented preparation in milk or whey,Lactobacillus GG was recovered in the feces of all subjects receiving the fermented milk or whey and in 86% receiving the frozen concentrate when a single fecal specimen was cultured. The organism was also present in the feces of subjects concurrently receiving ampicillin. After terminating feeding of the organism,Lactobacillus GG persisted in the feces of 87% of volunteers four days later and in 33% of subjects seven days later.Lactobacillus GG lowered fecal bacterial β-glucuronidase activity by approximately 80% in volunteers given the organism for four weeks. These studies demonstrate thatLactobacillus GG can survive and temporarily colonize the human gastrointestinal tract and can affect the metabolic activity of the resident microflora.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, 02111, Boston, Massachusetts

    Barry R. Goldin PhD, Sherwood L. Gorbach MD, Maija Saxelin PhD, Susan Barakat BS, Lisa Gualtieri BS & Seppo Salminen PhD

  2. Valio Finnish Cooperative Dairies Association, P.O. Box 390, SF-00101, Helsinki, Finland

    Barry R. Goldin PhD, Sherwood L. Gorbach MD, Maija Saxelin PhD, Susan Barakat BS, Lisa Gualtieri BS & Seppo Salminen PhD

Authors
  1. Barry R. Goldin PhD
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  2. Sherwood L. Gorbach MD
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  3. Maija Saxelin PhD
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  4. Susan Barakat BS
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  5. Lisa Gualtieri BS
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  6. Seppo Salminen PhD
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Additional information

This work was supported by a grant from the Nutritional Research Foundation (Helsinki, Finland).

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Goldin, B.R., Gorbach, S.L., Saxelin, M. et al. Survival ofLactobacillus species (strain GG) in human gastrointestinal tract. Digest Dis Sci 37, 121–128 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01308354

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01308354

Key Words

  • Lactobacillus GG
  • survival
  • intestine