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Coaggregation Patterns And Surface Characteristics Of Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Gg Under Varying Nutrient Conditions, Amanda Rielinger

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is one of the best studied probiotic organisms. The ability of probiotics to adhere to other microorganisms and the intestinal epithelium is thought to play a major role in their protective functions. Coaggregation is an important mechanism for biofilm formation by microorganisms. The goals of this study were to examine the ways in which nutrient variation affects intercellular interactions between LGG and other gut microbes and the hydrophobic character of LGG. We hypothesized that nutritional variation may affect the ability of LGG to coaggregate and form biofilms and thus affect its probiotic characteristics and ability to …