Protocol to Select Bifidobacteria from Fecal and Environmental Samples

Abstract

Bifidobacteria are commensal microorganisms able to colonize several ecological niches. Since their discovery, culture-dependent methods combined with the most modern next-generation sequencing techniques have contributed to shed light on the ecological, functional and genomic features of bifidobacteria, purporting them as microorganisms with probiotic traits. Thanks to their acclaimed health-promoting effects, several members of the Bifidobacterium genus have been included in a variety of functional foods and drugs. In this context, the functional relevance of bifidobacteria in the gut explains ongoing efforts to isolate novel and potentially beneficial strains. For this purpose, development of effective and selective isolation protocols in concert with knowledge on the physiological characteristics of bifidobacterial are fundamental requirements for their recovery and discovery from their natural environments, in particular from fecal samples.