Probiotic Potential and Safety Assessment of Type Strains of <i>Weissella</i> and <i>Periweissella</i> Species

Abstract

Although numerous strains belonging to the <i>Weissella</i> genus have been described in the last decades for their probiotic and biotechnological potential, others are known to be opportunistic pathogens of humans and animals. Here, we investigated the probiotic potential of two <i>Weissella</i> and four <i>Periweissella</i> type strains belonging to the species Weissella diestrammenae, Weissella uvarum, Periweissella beninensis, Periweissella fabalis, Periweissella fabaria, and Periweissella ghanensis by genomic and phenotypic analyses, and performed a safety assessment of these strains. Based on the results of the survival to simulated gastrointestinal transit, autoaggregation and hydrophobicity characteristics, as well as adhesion to Caco-2 cells, we showed that the <i>P. beninensis</i>, <i>P. fabalis</i>, <i>P. fabaria</i>, <i>P. ghanensis</i>, and <i>W. uvarum</i> type strains exhibited a high probiotic potential. The safety assessment, based on the genomic analysis, performed by searching for virulence and antibiotic resistance genes, as well as on the phenotypic evaluation, by testing hemolytic activity and antibiotic susceptibility, allowed us to identify the <i>P. beninensis</i> type strain as a safe potential probiotic microorganism. <b>IMPORTANCE</b> A comprehensive analysis of safety and functional features of six <i>Weissella</i> and <i>Periweissella</i> type strains was performed. Our data demonstrated the probiotic potential of these species, indicating the <i>P. beninensis</i> type strain as the best candidate based on its potential probiotic features and the safety assessment. The presence of different antimicrobial resistance profiles in the analyzed strains highlighted the need to establish cutoff values to perform a standardized safety evaluation of these species, which, in our opinion, should be mandatory on a strain-specific basis.