Characterization of the beneficial properties of lactobacilli isolated from bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) hatchery.

The present work addresses the isolation and partial identification of the microbial population of a R. catesbeiana hatchery in spring and summer as well as some beneficial properties of Lactobacillus strains isolated in different seasons and hatchery areas. The bacterial population was grouped into the following taxa: Lactobacillus spp., Pediococcus spp., Enterococcus faecalis and Ent. faecium, and Enterobacteriaceae (Enterobacter spp., Escherichia coli) while Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis were isolated from frogs displaying red-leg syndrome. The Lactobacillus plantarum and L. curvatus strains isolated showed to inhibit the growth of red-leg syndrome associated pathogens and food-borne bacteria by organic acids. While L. plantarum CRL 1606 also inhibited red-leg syndrome related pathogens by hydrogen peroxide, meat spoilage bacteria were only inhibited by acidity. However, by using a MRS medium added with tetramethyl-benzidine and peroxidase, a high percentage of H(2)O(2)-producing lactobacilli were detected. The surface properties of Lactobacillus strains showed that a few strains were able to agglutinate ABO human erythrocytes, while the highest number of strains had a low to medium degree of hydrophobicity. This paper constitute the first study related to the beneficial properties of Lactobacillus isolated from a bullfrog hatchery, as well as the selection criteria applied to a group of strains, which could help to control or prevent bacterial infectious diseases in raniculture.