| Summary: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-106). === For bifidobacteria to survive and achieve colonisation, they have to interact with inhibitory host-produced substances such as bile salts. Another aspect which should be studied is the safety of the probiotic bacterium and risks of acquisition of genes for resistance to antimicrobial agents. Although bifidobacteria exhibit resistance to a wide range of antibiotics, little is known about the molecular basis for this resistance. The aim of this project was, therefore, to investigate the molecular mechanisms responsible for the resistance to antibiotics and bile salts observed in bifidobacteria, and more specifically, to determine whether efflux systems are involved in this resistance. Five Bifidobacterium spp. were exposed to a range of antimicrobial agents. These included ethidium bromide, the bile salt sodium glycocholate, and a range of antibiotics.
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