Lactobacillus Acidophillus

Kelly D.
Nov. 14, 2014
Period 1

Topic: Pick a single cell organism from http://commtechlab.msu.edu/Sites/dlc-me/zoo/i... (The Microbe Zoo) Include where does it live, what does it do , and include a picture. 

 Lactobacillus Acidophillus

            The single cell organism I have chosen to discuss is Lactobacillus acidophillus. Lactobacillus acidophillus is from the kingdom, Eubacteria and it is special in many ways. This bacterium plays a role in the foods we consume. First, it is special because it helps preserve our foods by making our food acidic. Some of the foods this microbe preserves include cabbage forming sauerkraut, milk forming yogurt, and flour dough forming sourdough bread. Lactobacillus acidophillus make acids as a byproduct (waste product) of fermentation. The acid produced makes the environment toxic to most other microbes. This microbe is the most commonly used probiotic which is contained in many yogurts and drinks. Other uses of Lactobacillus acidophillus are helping digestion, treating chronic constipation, improving lactose tolerance, treating high cholesterol, enhancing the immune system, and more. Lactobacillus acidophillus lives in our digestive, urinary, and genital systems without causing disease.

Sources: 

• http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/acidophilus/background/hrb-20058615
• http://dwb.unl.edu/teacher/nsf/c11/c11links/www.bact.wisc.edu/scienceed/lactobacillusacidophilus.html
• http://commtechlab.msu.edu/Sites/dlc-me/zoo/zqq0161.html
• Google Images