AGGREGATION-PROMOTING FACTOR IN PIG INTESTINAL LACTOBACILLUS STRAINS

Autoaggregation was frequently encountered among intestinal lactobacil li isolated from weaned pigs. The aggregation mechanism was shown to b e mediated by the production of a proteinaceous aggregation-promoting factor in two strains of Lactobacillus reuteri. A 32 kDa aggregation-p romoting protein was detected in these strains by cross-reaction with rabbit polyclonal antibodies for Aggregation-Promoting Factor produced by the human isolate Lact. plantarum 4B2. Coaggregation reactions of Lact. reuteri strains with pathogenic and non-pathogenic Escherichia c oli were detected.