Safety of novel probiotic bacteria

The bacterial species used as probiotics and the measures taken to ensure their safety for use in food, feeds and aquaculture are presented. The topics discussed in this paper include the unequivocal identification of probiotic species, taxonomy, role of enterococci as probiotics, spore-forming probiotics, probiotics in animals, probiotics and infection and antibiotic resistance. Clinical studies and epidemiological surveillance related to the safety of probiotic use are summarized. A comparison of several probiotics is included. The guidelines for probiotic safety are outlined.