Association of rat,pig, and fowl biotypes of lactobacilli with the stomach of gnotobiotic mice

We grouped 20 isolates of lactobacilli from the stomach of conventional rats, 21 isolates from pig stomachs, and 19 isolates from the crop of fowls according to their ability to ferment N-acetylglucosamine, dextrin, cellobiose, gum arabic, and xylan. Most of the isolates did not resemble previously describedLactobacillus species. Representative group A isolates were associated with germ-free mice. Only a rat isolate was able to colonize the keratinized squamous epithelium of the stomach of gnotobiotic mice.