Lactobacillus Sporogenes By Sanzyme Biologics

Lactobacillus Sporogenes (L. Sporogenes) vs B. coagulans: What name to prefer?

Bacillus coagulans is a lactic acid forming bacterial species first isolated and described in 1915 by B.W. Hammer at the Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station as a cause of an outbreak of coagulation in evaporated milk packed by an Iowa condensary. In 1932, Horowitz and Wlassowa named it as Lactobacillus Sporogenes.

Separately isolated in 1935 and described as Lactobacillus Sporogenes in the fifth edition of Bergey s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. By the Seventh Edition of Bergey s Manual in 1957, the bacterium was reclassified in the Bacillus genus and the correct nomenclature is Bacillus coagulans (B. coagulans). The bacterium may still occasionally be erroneously referred to as L. Sporogenes.By definition, lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium) do not form spores. Although B. coagulans does produce L+ lactic acid, Bacillus species do not belong to the lactic acid bacteria.

But B. coagulans exhibits characteristics typical of both genera Lactobacillus and Bacillus, its taxonomic position between the families Lactobacillaceae and Bacillaceae was often debated. Determination of the taxonomy of bacterial species is a key point, since it is well known that different species belonging to the same genus may have different beneficial properties.

From this point of view, Lactobacillus Sporogenes, or, as it should be correctly classified, Bacillus coagulans, represents the misidentified probiotic and its listing among probiotics has often been matter of debate. However, in the seventh edition of Bergey s, it was finally transferred to the genus Bacillus. Therefore, using the name Lactobacillus Sporogenes is scientifically incorrect.Read More...