生长抑制剂所诱导的乳酸乳球菌MG1363的自溶表型及其生长阶段特异的性质

【目的】自溶是细菌在压力环境下通过自身裂解而获得的一种生理适应现象,研究的目的是全面探讨乳酸菌株在生长抑制剂条件下的自溶表型及机理。【方法】对多种来源的乳酸菌株的自溶能力进行检测,通过在不同生长条件和抑制剂压力条件下乳酸乳球菌MG1363的生长检测对其自溶表型进行分析。【结果】在葡萄糖严格受限的培养基中,氨苄青霉素的加入能够显著诱导MG1363的自溶,而且该自溶现象只发生在葡萄糖耗尽的时间点,展现出一种狭窄的生长时期依赖的特征。与此同时,因为氨苄青霉素的加入,4种主要的自溶酶的表达都发生了不同程度的显著改变。此外,所有受试的抑制剂都削弱了MG1363在非营养条件下的自溶,表明该菌株可能具有一种涉及细胞壁合成和降解酶的共同调控的模式。【结论】乳酸菌株在不同生长抑制剂条件下的自溶表型存在很大差异,且该自溶体现出营养条件和生长时期严格依赖的特征。     

生长抑制剂所诱导的乳酸乳球菌MG1363的自溶表型及其生长阶段特异的性质（英文）

【目的】自溶是细菌在压力环境下通过自身裂解而获得的一种生理适应现象,研究的目的是全面探讨乳酸菌株在生长抑制剂条件下的自溶表型及机理。【方法】对多种来源的乳酸菌株的自溶能力进行检测,通过在不同生长条件和抑制剂压力条件下乳酸乳球菌MG1363的生长检测对其自溶表型进行分析。【结果】在葡萄糖严格受限的培养基中,氨苄青霉素的加入能够显著诱导MG1363的自溶,而且该自溶现象只发生在葡萄糖耗尽的时间点,展现出一种狭窄的生长时期依赖的特征。与此同时,因为氨苄青霉素的加入,4种主要的自溶酶的表达都发生了不同程度的显著改变。此外,所有受试的抑制剂都削弱了MG1363在非营养条件下的自溶,表明该菌株可能具有一种涉及细胞壁合成和降解酶的共同调控的模式。【结论】乳酸菌株在不同生长抑制剂条件下的自溶表型存在很大差异,且该自溶体现出营养条件和生长时期严格依赖的特征。     

泡菜、传统腊肠中降胆固醇乳酸菌的筛选及鉴定

摘要：【目的】筛选具有降胆固醇功能的乳酸菌菌株,为乳酸菌体外、体内的降胆固醇生理特性和机理研究奠定基础。【方法】以碳酸钙-MRS选择性培养基(Calcium Carbonate-Man Rogosa and Sharp Medium)从中国传统食品泡菜、腊肠中筛选乳酸菌,应用改良的胆固醇筛选培养基筛选具有较高降胆固醇能力的乳酸菌菌株,并研究其耐酸性,耐胆盐活性,生长曲线及产酸特性;结合菌落形态学、接触酶反应、革兰氏染色、碳水化合物微量鉴定管及16SrRNA寡核苷酸碱基序列分析鉴定菌株。【结果】筛选得到的两     

尼罗红荧光优化法快速检测微拟球藻细胞内油脂含量

【目的】利用尼罗红荧光染色法快速检测微拟球藻细胞内的油脂含量。【方法】系统性地调整激发波长与发射波长,确定最佳二甲基亚砜(DMSO)浓度、尼罗红终浓度、染色时间和细胞密度的范围,比较重量法和Triolein标准品的油脂含量分别与荧光强度之间的关系。【结果】分析得出了尼罗红荧光强度与微拟球藻细胞油脂含量的关系,确定优化后染色条件为:二甲基亚砜浓度为5%,尼罗红终浓度为1 mg/L,染色时间为6 min,且细胞密度为(0.5-3.0)×10~6 cells/m L的范围内,激发波长和发射波长分别为515 nm和570 nm。重量法和Triolein标准品的油脂含量分别与尼罗红染色荧光强度之间的关联性,表明尼罗红荧光染色方法可以用来快速准确地检测细胞内的油脂含量,且油脂含量与荧光强度之间正相关,相关系数R~2为0.997 3。尼罗红染色优化后油脂的检测下限达到2μg,大大减少了测定油脂含量所需细胞量。【结论】针对不同种属系统性地确认了荧光激发波长和发射波长,并优化验证得到了最佳尼罗红荧光染色条件,可以快速准确地检测微量微拟球藻细胞内的油脂含量,便于大规模筛选高产油突变藻株。     

圈养大熊猫肠道乳酸菌分离及益生特性

【背景】大熊猫数量稀少、繁殖困难,在其生长过程中极易感染消化系统疾病甚至死亡。【目的】分析圈养大熊猫肠道可培养乳酸菌的群落结构与功能,筛选具有益生特性的乳酸菌菌株,为大熊猫消化系统疾病的预防和肠道微生物研究提供理论参考及菌种资源。【方法】采用3种培养基分离大熊猫粪便中的乳酸菌,通过革兰氏染色镜检和过氧化氢试验对分离的菌株进行初步鉴定,基于BOXA1R-PCR图谱遗传多样性选取代表菌株进行16S rRNA基因测序分析并进行主成分分析(principal component analysis, PCA),同时分析乳酸菌菌株安全性和益生特性。【结果】通过初步鉴定共分离获得58株乳酸菌,根据BOXA1R-PCR结果挑选20株菌进行测序,结果显示20株菌分属于明串珠菌属(Leuconostoc)、肠球菌属(Enterococcus)、魏斯氏菌属(Weissella)和链球菌属(Streptococcus)这4个属,主成分分析结果表明不同年龄段的大熊猫肠道乳酸菌群落结构存在差异。20株乳酸菌均不溶血,17株乳酸菌对11种抗生素均敏感;11株菌耐pH值2.0酸性条件,14株菌对0.3%的胆盐具有良好...     

猪消化道中产苯乳酸乳酸菌的益生特性研究

【目的】建立一种简单有效的产苯乳酸乳酸菌的筛选方法,并筛选到高产苯乳酸的乳酸菌。【方法】菌株经过添加了苯丙氨酸的培养基厌氧培养后,利用高效液相色谱法检测发酵液中苯乳酸的含量。【结果】从猪的消化道中共分离得到31株产苯乳酸的乳酸菌,其中菌株R53的苯乳酸产量最大,为321.7 mg/L。菌株R53对.OH、O2和DPPH都有清除能力,清除率分别达到11.2%、52.7%和63.2%。同时R53也能降低培养基中胆固醇的含量,清除率为32.5%。【结论】乳酸菌R53经菌落形态、细胞形态、生化反应实验、16S rDNA测序,最终确定为植物乳杆菌。植物乳杆菌R53能产生苯乳酸,具有清除胆固醇和抗氧化能力。     

尼罗红染色法筛选产油酵母及定量检测胞内油脂含量的研究

【目的】建立产油酵母筛选以及胞内油脂含量测定的简便方法。【方法】利用尼罗红与胞内油脂成分结合后在紫外光照射下发出荧光且荧光强弱与油脂含量相关的原理。通过在添加尼罗红的培养基中培养酵母,并观察菌落荧光的方法对385株深海酵母进行产油脂菌株筛选,利用26S rDNA D1/D2区序列分析方法对筛选获得的产油酵母菌株进行鉴定,并以其中的一株高产油脂酵母(2A00015)为试验菌株,建立了一套尼罗红染色快速测定油脂含量的方法。【结果】获得22株产油酵母,其中油脂含量最高可达62.9%,经分子鉴定后显示这22株酵母分别属于(Candida viswanathii)、近平滑假丝酵母(Candidaparapsilosis)、粘质红酵母(Rhodotorula mucilaginosa)、汉逊德巴利酵母(Debaryomyceshansenii)、季也蒙毕赤酵母(Pichia guilliermondii)以及Rhodosporidium paludigenum酵母。尼罗红染色快速测定油脂含量方法的最佳检测条件为:菌悬液OD600小于1.2,尼罗红浓度0.5 mg/L,染色时间5 min,激发波长488 nm,发射波长570 nm。该测定方法得到相对荧光强度与称重法得到油脂含量呈正相关性,R2=0.9637。     

具有拮抗空肠弯曲杆菌能力鸡源乳酸菌的筛选及特性

【目的】从鸡粪中筛选具有拮抗空肠弯曲杆菌能力的乳酸菌,研究其肠道益生特性,探讨其对空肠弯曲杆菌鞭毛毒力因子的影响。【方法】利用牛津杯法测定40株鸡粪源乳酸菌菌株的抑菌活性以确定抑菌性能好的菌株,利用16S r RNA基因分析进行菌株鉴定,采用HT-29细胞测定菌株的细胞粘附能力,通过模拟胃肠液实验分析菌株对胃肠道环境的耐受性,利用扫描电镜分析乳酸菌无细胞提取物对空肠弯曲杆菌鞭毛毒力因子的影响。【结果】从鸡粪中分离得到40株菌株,进一步筛选得到X13、X14和G20等3株拮抗空肠弯曲杆菌能力较强的菌株,经16S r RNA基因序列分析分别鉴定为罗伊氏乳杆菌、唾液乳杆菌和鸡乳杆菌;HT-29细胞粘附实验表明X13、X14及G20的粘附指数分别为11.5、20.3和14.3个/细胞,均具有良好的粘附能力;3株乳酸菌对人工胃肠液均具有良好的耐受性;扫描电镜观察表明,与对照组相比,3株纯培养乳酸菌无细胞提取物均能抑制空肠弯曲杆菌鞭毛毒力因子的合成。【结论】从鸡粪中筛选得到了3株能有效抑制空肠弯曲杆菌生长并能抑制其鞭毛合成的乳酸菌,有望作为拮抗性饲用益生菌用于控制禽畜的空肠弯曲杆菌感染。     

一株具有抑制单胺氧化酶作用的干酪乳杆菌筛选

【目的】通过体外模型从健康人体粪便内分离筛选出具有抑制单胺氧化酶(MAO)活性的乳酸菌,为今后乳酸菌体内抗衰老的研究提供参考。【方法】采用单胺氧化酶体外抑制模型对乳酸菌的发酵上清及无细胞提取物进行了筛选,并对筛选出的样品进行了两种指标的测定,即样品的剂量效应,以及样品与酶的预保温时间对酶活抑制率的影响;同时利用膜分离技术对不同分子量范围的样品进行了MAO的抑制测定。以筛选出的菌株JH-23为目的菌,通过16S rDNA序列分析及API细菌鉴定系统对菌株进行鉴定。【结果】筛选出的菌株JH-23无细胞提取物对MAO的抑制率达到33.7%。样品经冻干后,在反应浓度为16 mg/mL时抑制率达到53.2%,且MAO抑制率随预保温时间的增加而上升,在30 min之后抑制效果趋于平稳;粗样品经48 h透析后,透析液中的MAO抑制率较透析前明显升高。菌株JH-23的鉴定结果显示其属于干酪乳杆菌。【结论】开发了一种以单胺氧化酶作为靶位酶的新式体外筛选模型,该模型方便快捷且灵敏性高,对之后的抗衰老体内研究有所帮助。筛选出的干酪乳杆菌JH-23细胞裂解物对MAO有抑制作用,其中起到MAO抑制作用的主要是细胞内的小分子类物质。     

大曲来源淀粉利用型乳酸菌的筛选及其淀粉利用特性

【背景】乳酸菌是面包、馒头等发酵食品中的重要功能微生物,对改善质地和风味均具有重要作用。淀粉利用能力高的乳酸菌,因其能够在生面粉中更好地定殖而具有重要的应用价值。【目的】筛选获得淀粉水解型乳酸菌并研究其淀粉利用特性。【方法】以浓香型白酒大曲为筛选源,采用淀粉基质碳源对大曲中乳酸菌进行定向富集,结合淀粉发酵能力筛选高淀粉利用能力菌株,并对筛选得到的优良菌株展开淀粉酶表达及其酶活力研究。【结果】以贮存3-6个月的大曲为优秀筛选源,以生面糊传代富集方法可较快筛选出具有良好淀粉利用能力的乳杆菌,主要物种为植物乳杆菌和类食品乳杆菌。对其中一株具有淀粉利用能力的类食品乳杆菌LBM12001的淀粉水解特征和淀粉酶活力展开研究,该菌株淀粉水解能力达10 g/L,并且其在面糊中具有良好的定殖能力;酶活力测定表明,其α-淀粉酶和麦芽糖淀粉酶为胞外酶;麦芽糖淀粉酶水解淀粉的最适pH值为3.5,比酶活为1 240 U/mg。【结论】建立起从我国传统白酒发酵大曲中高效筛选淀粉水解型乳酸菌的富集筛选方法,以及菌株的水解能力评价方法,获得的胞外麦芽糖淀粉酶分泌型乳杆菌在酸面团、馒头等需进行生面粉发酵食品的生产中具有重要应用前景。     

Development of a flow cytometric method to analyze subpopulations of bacteria in probiotic products and dairy starters

Flow cytometry (FCM) is a rapid and sensitive technique that can determine cell numbers and measure various physiological characteristics of individual cells by using appropriate fluorescent probes. Previously, we developed an FCM assay with the viability probes carboxyfluorescein diacetate (cFDA) and TOTO-1 [1'-(4,4,7,7-tetramethyl-4,7-diazaundecamethylene)-bis-4-[3-methyl-2,3dihydro(benzo-1,3-oxazole)-2-methylidene]-1-(3'-trimethylammoniumpropyl)-pyridinium tetraiodide] for (stressed) lactic acid bacteria (C. J. Bunthof, K. Bloemen, P. Breeuwer, F. M. Rombouts, and T. Abee, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:2326-2335, 2001). cFDA stains intact cells with enzymatic activity, and TOTO-1 stains membrane-permeabilized cells. Here we used this assay to study the viability of bacterial suspensions in milk, dairy fermentation starters, and probiotic products. To facilitate FCM analysis of bacteria in milk, a commercially available milk-clearing solution was used. The procedure was optimized to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. FCM enumerations were accurate down to a concentration of 10(5) cells ml(-1). The level of retrieval of Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS 1 suspended in milk was high, and viability was not affected by the procedure. The plate counts for cleared samples of untreated cell suspensions were nearly as high as the total FCM counts, and the correlation was strong (r > 0.99). In dairy fermentation starters and in probiotic products the FCM total cell counts were substantially higher than the numbers of CFU. Three functional populations could be distinguished: culturable cells, cells that are intact and metabolically active but not culturable, and permeabilized cells. The proportions of the populations differed in the products tested. This FCM method provides tools to assess the functionality of different populations in fermentation starters and probiotic products.     

Development of a Flow Cytometric Method To Analyze Subpopulations of Bacteria in Probiotic Products and Dairy Starters

Flow cytometry (FCM) is a rapid and sensitive technique that can determine cell numbers and measure various physiological characteristics of individual cells by using appropriate fluorescent probes. Previously, we developed an FCM assay with the viability probes carboxyfluorescein diacetate (cFDA) and TOTO-1 {1′-(4,4,7,7-tetramethyl-4,7-diazaundecamethylene)-bis-4-[3-methyl-2,3dihydro(benzo-1,3-oxazole)-2-methylidene]-1-(3′-trimethylammoniumpropyl)-pyridinium tetraiodide} for (stressed) lactic acid bacteria (C. J. Bunthof, K. Bloemen, P. Breeuwer, F. M. Rombouts, and T. Abee, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:2326-2335, 2001). cFDA stains intact cells with enzymatic activity, and TOTO-1 stains membrane-permeabilized cells. Here we used this assay to study the viability of bacterial suspensions in milk, dairy fermentation starters, and probiotic products. To facilitate FCM analysis of bacteria in milk, a commercially available milk-clearing solution was used. The procedure was optimized to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. FCM enumerations were accurate down to a concentration of 10⁵ cells ml⁻¹. The level of retrieval of Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS 1 suspended in milk was high, and viability was not affected by the procedure. The plate counts for cleared samples of untreated cell suspensions were nearly as high as the total FCM counts, and the correlation was strong (r > 0.99). In dairy fermentation starters and in probiotic products the FCM total cell counts were substantially higher than the numbers of CFU. Three functional populations could be distinguished: culturable cells, cells that are intact and metabolically active but not culturable, and permeabilized cells. The proportions of the populations differed in the products tested. This FCM method provides tools to assess the functionality of different populations in fermentation starters and probiotic products.     

一种利用RT-HPLC分析乳酸菌产生物胺的方法

具有脱羧酶活性的乳酸菌可通过氨基酸的脱羧反应产生具有潜在安全风险的生物胺。本文利用脱羧酶培养基初步筛查61株乳酸菌产生物胺情况,再通过RT-HPLC法测定其在发酵液和发酵乳中的生物胺含量。用10%的三氯乙酸提取样品中的生物胺,采用苯甲酰氯衍生处理后,以甲醇/水为流动相,进行梯度洗脱,流速0.8mL/min,紫外检测器波长为254nm。结果显示,组胺和酪胺得到良好的分离,在给定的浓度范围内呈现良好的线性关系(R20.995)。在发酵液和发酵乳中添加生物胺混合标准溶液,平均回收率为97.92%-101.14%,相对偏差RSD5%。结果表明,发酵液与发酵乳中生物胺的RT-HPLC法,是一种快捷、稳定、灵敏度高的检测方法,其与脱羧酶培养基法结合可以准确地实现对乳酸菌产生物胺的评价。     

Determination of urate crystal formation using flow cytometry and microarea X-ray diffractometry

Gout is known to be induced by monosodium urate (MSU) crystals. The formation of MSU crystals is the first step of gouty inflammation. Detecting the early stage of crystallization accurately is considered to be important in understanding the mechanism of gouty arthritis. In this study, we employed flow cytometry (FCM) to detect small amounts of crystals produced in a supersaturated solution of uric acid. FCM was sensitive and crystals were determined at 2 h after the beginning of reaction. Gamma-globulin accelerated the formation rate time-dependently and dose-dependently. Low levels of lactic acid (less than 1.0 mg/ml) did not affect the formation rate but lactic acid of 2.0 mg/ml enhanced the formation of urate crystals. The crystals obtained with 2.0 mg/ml of lactic acid were analyzed with a microarea X-ray diffractometer and were shown to be a mixture of MSU and uric acid. FCM is a very useful method to determine the formation of crystals. Furthermore, analysis with a microarea X-ray diffractometer can provide detailed information about crystal composition.     

Flow cytometric assessment of viability of lactic acid bacteria

The viability of lactic acid bacteria is crucial for their applications as dairy starters and as probiotics. We investigated the usefulness of flow cytometry (FCM) for viability assessment of lactic acid bacteria. The esterase substrate carboxyfluorescein diacetate (cFDA) and the dye exclusion DNA binding probes propidium iodide (PI) and TOTO-1 were tested for live/dead discrimination using a Lactococcus, a Streptococcus, three Lactobacillus, two Leuconostoc, an Enterococcus, and a Pediococcus species. Plate count experiments were performed to validate the results of the FCM assays. The results showed that cFDA was an accurate stain for live cells; in exponential-phase cultures almost all cells were labeled, while 70 degrees C heat-killed cultures were left unstained. PI did not give clear live/dead discrimination for some of the species. TOTO-1, on the other hand, gave clear discrimination between live and dead cells. The combination of cFDA and TOTO-1 gave the best results. Well-separated subpopulations of live and dead cells could be detected with FCM. Cell sorting of the subpopulations and subsequent plating on agar medium provided direct evidence that cFDA labels the culturable subpopulation and that TOTO-1 labels the nonculturable subpopulation. Applied to cultures exposed to deconjugated bile salts or to acid, cFDA and TOTO-1 proved to be accurate indicators of culturability. Our experiments with lactic acid bacteria demonstrated that the combination of cFDA and TOTO-1 makes an excellent live/dead assay with versatile applications.     

耐乙酸乳杆菌的筛选及其产乳酸特性

【背景】耐受乙酸的乳酸菌是传统谷物醋醋酸发酵过程中产生乳酸及其风味衍生物的重要功能微生物。【目的】从镇江香醋醋醅中分离鉴定具有耐乙酸特性的乳酸菌,并评价不同条件下该菌株的产乳酸能力。【方法】利用4%(体积比)乙酸含量的MRS培养基分离耐乙酸乳酸菌;对其进行16S rRNA基因鉴定、基因组测序、形态观察以及生理生化特性研究;考察不同乙酸浓度、葡萄糖浓度、发酵温度和时间对菌株产乳酸能力的影响。【结果】分离得到一株可耐受6%乙酸的乳杆菌Lactobacillus sp. JN500903;在厌氧静置、接种量5%、乙酸浓度5%、葡萄糖浓度40 g/L、发酵温度37°C、发酵时间10 d条件下,该菌株乳酸产量为16.1 g/L。【结论】乳杆菌JN500903能够耐受6%乙酸浓度,具有在酸性环境下合成乳酸的能力,有一定的应用潜力。     

新疆喀什地区母乳中乳酸菌的多样性分析

【目的】对新疆喀什地区母乳中乳酸菌多样性进行分析。【方法】采用菌落培养、显微镜观察、Repetitive genomic fingerprinting(Rep-PCR)指纹图谱和16S r RNA基因序列分析相结合的方法研究母乳中乳酸菌的菌群分布。【结果】从11份母乳中共分离出乳酸菌193株,利用16S r RNA基因序列同源分析和系统发育树对代表菌株进行了分子鉴定,193株乳酸菌隶属于4个属,分别为Lactobacillus(22株)、Streptococcus(42株)、Lactococcus(40株)、Enterococcus(89株)。其中,Enterococcus所占比例最大,达到46%。【结论】新疆喀什地区母乳中乳酸菌多样性丰富,极具开发潜力,将为开发母乳中的益生菌以及安全可靠的微生态制剂提供理论依据。     

新疆伊犁地区原牛乳中乳酸菌的多样性分析

【目的】对新疆伊犁地区原牛奶中乳酸细菌的遗传多样性进行分析。【方法】采用菌落培养、Rep-PCR(Repetitive genomic fingerprinting)指纹图谱和16S r RNA基因序列分析相结合的方法研究牛乳内乳酸菌的遗传多样性。【结果】从5份原牛乳中分离出乳酸菌29株,基因序列分析和系统进化分析显示29株乳酸菌隶属于5个属,分别为:Lactococcus、Lactobacillus、Leuconostoc、Pediococcus和Enterococcus。优势属为Leuconostoc(27.6%),其次为Lactococcus(24.0%)。【结论】新疆伊犁地区原牛乳中乳酸菌多样性丰富,为开发新疆地区益生乳酸菌提供了丰富的活性资源。     

清香型白酒中乳酸菌和酵母菌的相互作用

【目的】探究清香型白酒中不同乳酸菌和酵母菌的相互作用,了解不同菌株的发酵性能,为更深入地认识白酒发酵机理、实现发酵过程优化提供理论基础。【方法】利用程序控温和固态发酵模拟清香型白酒酿造环境,测定纯培养和共培养中菌株的理化指标、活菌数以及主要代谢产物的变化。【结果】Saccharomyces cerevisiae YJ1糖消耗快产乙醇和酯类物质多,Lactobacillus plantarum JMRS4糖消耗快产酸较多。共培养中乳酸菌对Saccharomyces cerevisiae YJ1的生长和产乙醇抑制较大,对Candida aaseri MJ7产乙醇几乎无影响。乳酸菌对Pichia kudriavzevii MJ14的生物量和乙醇代谢抑制作用较小,还对其产己酸乙酯、乙酸乙酯和异戊醇等代谢产物有促进作用;而反过来Pichia kudriavzevii MJ14对3株乳酸菌产乳酸均有抑制作用,对产乙酸则有促进作用。【结论】建立了一种固态培养方法,结合清香型白酒发酵温度变化规律,有效模拟了实际发酵环境。Pichia kudriavzevii MJ14在与乳酸菌共培养中受到的抑制较小并能有效抑制乳酸菌产乳酸,Saccharomyces cerevisiae YJ1能代谢产生多种风味物质,对清香型白酒酿造有重要意义。     

Rapid labelling of bacteria with [14C]palmitic acid and its application in an aggregation assay

Abstract A rapid and simple procedure for labelling bacterial cells based on binding of [¹⁴C]palmitic acid to the bacterial surface is described. The method was found convenient for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria such as staphylococci, streptococci and Salmonella . Some factors affecting the binding of [¹⁴C]palmitic acid to the surface of streptococci were examined. Treatment of bacteria with heat, trypsin or β-galactosidase had no effect on labelling. The binding was relatively independent of ionic strength in the range 0.1–1 M NaCl, but was dependent on pH and presence of detergents. The [¹⁴C]palmitic acid labelling method was tested in studies of aggregation of oral streptococci. The aggregation assay was sensitive and very reproducible.