article · Food Science & Nutrition
Strains of Weissella bacteria offer potential for biotechnological and probiotic uses, but some can act as opportunistic pathogens. An evaluation of fifty-four Weissella strains isolated from environmental sources examined their safety profiles and antimicrobial capabilities. None of the tested strains showed haemolytic activity, and all were sensitive to ampicillin and chloramphenicol, alongside expected intrinsic resistances to vancomycin, teicoplanin, kanamycin, and nalidixic acid. Resistance to other common antibiotics remained very low, although several were resistant to fusidic acid. Screening for biogenic amine production revealed that very few strains produced compounds such as tyramine, histamine, or putrescine. Tests also confirmed extremely low or absent gene transfer rates for antibiotic resistance. Overall, eight strains exhibited notable antibacterial activity, supporting the safety profile of these environmentally derived strains for probiotic applications.
Before beneficial bacteria can be deployed in agriculture or food systems, their safety must be thoroughly proven to prevent spreading antibiotic resistance or toxic compounds. Demonstrating that environmental Weissella strains lack harmful traits and suppress other bacteria helps identify secure candidates for natural feed additives, reducing reliance on conventional antibiotics in livestock management.
This research provides early-stage evidence that specific environmental Weissella strains could serve as safe probiotic additives in animal feed. Feed manufacturers and animal health biotechnology companies could use these characterized strains to develop probiotic supplements. The work remains at an experimental laboratory screening stage, meaning further formulation, animal safety trials, and regulatory approvals will be required before commercial deployment.
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Abstract Weissella strains have been reported to be useful in biotechnological and probiotic determinations, and some of them are considered opportunistic pathogens. Given the widespread interest about antimicrobial susceptibilities, transmission of resistances, and virulence factors, there is little research available on such topics for Weissella . The aim of this study was to assess the safety aspects and antimicrobial potential of 54 Weissella spp. strains from different environmental sources. Antibiotic susceptibility, hemolytic activity, horizontal transfer, and antibacterial activity were studied, as well as the detection of biogenic amine BA production on decarboxylase medium and PCR was performed. All the strains were nonhemolytic and sensitive to chloramphenicol and ampicillin. Several strains were classified as resistant to fusidic acid, and very low resistance rates were detected to ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, streptomycin, lincomycin, erythromycin, and rifampicin, although all strains had intrinsic resistance to vancomycin, nalidixic acid, kanamycin, and teicoplanin. Two BA‐producing strains ( W . halotolerans FAS30 and FAS29) exhibited tyrosine decarboxylase activity, and just one W . confusa FS077 produced both tyramine and histamine, and their genetic determinants were identified. Ornithine decarboxylase/ odc gene was found in 16 of the Weissella strains, although 3 of them synthesize putrescine. Interestingly, eight strains with good properties displayed antibacterial activity. Conjugation frequencies of erythromycin from Bacillus to Weissella spp. varied in the average of 3 × 10 −9 transconjugants/recipient. However, no tetracycline‐resistant transconjugant was obtained with Enterococcus faecalis JH2‐2 as recipient. The obtained results support the safe status of Weissella strains, derived from environmental sources, when used as probiotics in animal feed.
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DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.2885
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