Lactobacillus

An older term for a genus of bacteria that was split into multiple new genera in 2020 because of new genomic evidence. The term “lactobacilli” can refer to members of the pre-2020 genus.

Summary

Lactobacillus is the older term for a genus of bacteria that belongs to the phylum Firmicutes, the class Bacilli, and the family Lactobacillaceae. In 2020, this was split into 23 new genera due to new genomic evidence. However, the term is found in older research, and new research sometimes still uses the pre-2020 terminology. Some researchers suggest using the term “lactobacilli” to refer to the pre-2020 Lactobacillus genus.[1]

Lactobacilli are naturally found in the human gut, oral cavity (mouth), and female genital tract. They are also commonly found in foods, including fermented dairy, yogurt, sourdough breads, and some fermented vegetables.[2]

References

1.^Zheng J, Wittouck S, Salvetti E, Franz CMAP, Harris HMB, Mattarelli P, O'Toole PW, Pot B, Vandamme P, Walter J, Watanabe K, Wuyts S, Felis GE, Gänzle MG, Lebeer SA taxonomic note on the genus Lactobacillus: Description of 23 novel genera, emended description of the genus Lactobacillus Beijerinck 1901, and union of Lactobacillaceae and Leuconostocaceae.Int J Syst Evol Microbiol.(2020 Apr)