Antimicrobial susceptibility of bifidobacteria

Eighteen Bifidobacterium strains were tested for their susceptibility to a range of antimicrobial agents. All the strains tested, including the refere nce culture Lactobacillus acidophilus CH2, were susceptible to several grou ps of antimicrobial agents, they were cephalosporin (cefamandole, cefazolin , cefaperazone, cefoxitin), polypeptide (bacitracin), macrolide (erythromyc in), penicillin (amoxicillin), phenicol (chloramphenicol) and beta-lactam ( imipenem). Fourteen strains were resistant to more than 10 antibiotics. The reference culture was resistant to only three antibiotics. The results sho wed that bifidobacteria are resistant to a wide range of antimicrobial agen ts.