Lacticaseibacillus paracasei

Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (commonly abbreviated as Lc. paracasei) is a gram-positive, homofermentative species of lactic acid bacteria that are commonly used in dairy product fermentation and as probiotic cultures. Lc. paracasei is a bacterium that operates by commensalism. It is commonly found in many human habitats such as human intestinal tracts and mouths as well as sewages, silages, and previously mentioned dairy products. The name includes morphology, a rod-shaped (bacillus shape) bacterium with a width of 2.0 to 4.0μm and length of 0.8 to 1.0μm.

Strains of L. paracasei have been isolated from a variety of environments including dairy products, plants or plant fermentations, and from the human and animal gastrointestinal tracts. A protracted refrigeration period before in vitro gastrointestinal transit (GIT) did not affect or influenced very weakly cell resistance.

Lacticaseibacillus paracasei is genotypically and phenotypically closely related from other members of the Lacticaseibacillus casei group which also includes Lacticaseibacillus casei, Lacticaseibacillus zeae and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus. However, these species are readily differentiated from each other by Multi-Locus-Sequence-Typing, core genome phylogeny, or Average Nucleotide Identity. Its fermentative properties allows it to be used as biological food processors and supplements for diets and medical disorders, especially in the gastrointestinal tract.

Although probiotics are considered safe, they may cause bacteria-host interactions and adverse health consequences. In certain cases there is a risk of bacteremia when probiotics are used. Currently, the probiotic strain, frequency, dose and duration of the probiotic therapies are not established.