Abstract
We collected fecal samples twice from 8 subjects and obtained 160 isolates of lactobacilli. The isolates were genetically fingerprinted and identified by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and 16S rDNA sequence analysis, respectively. The numbers of lactobacilli detected in fecal samples varied greatly among the subjects. The isolates were divided into 37 strains by PFGE. No common strain was detected in the feces of different subjects. Except for one subject, at least one strain, unique to each individual, was detected in both fecal samples. The strains detected in both fecal samples were identified as Lactobacillus amylovorus, L. gasseri, L. fermentum, L. delbrueckii, L. crispatus, L. vaginalis and L. ruminis. They may be the indigenous Lactobacillus species in Japanese adults.
