• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.746-752
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• 2002

The purpose of the present study was to examine the antagonistic activities of Enterococcus faecalis strain PL9003 (PL9003) on Helicobacter pylori. This strain was isolated from infant feces and found to inhibit both the growth of H. pylori and its in vitro adherence to the human gastric cell line MKN-45. The binding of PL9003 to MKN-45 was observed under a light microscope after Cram staining and under a scanning electron microscope. When detected with an FITC-conjugate antibody, both viable and nonviable PL9003 were found to decrease the number of H. pylori bound to MKN-45. When detected by an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay, about 70% of the H. pylori bound on MKN-45 disappeared with the four-1314 addition of viable or nonviable PL9003. The spent culture supernatant (SCS) of PL9003 also decreased the viability of H pylori even after neutralization and pepsin treatment. The above results suggest that PL9003 has a potential as a new probiotic for the stomach.