Lactobacillus bulgaricus and E.coli. (Microbiology-SLP5) Essay

Lactobacillus bulgaricus and E.coli. (Microbiology-SLP5) - Essay Example While the Lactobacilli are found in plant herbage especially at temperatures between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius, the Escherichia bacteria are basically anaerobic and are found in the human colonic flora in the intestinal lumen. Thirdly, the Lactobacilli are involved in producing yoghurt and in maintaining healthy intestinal flora but the Escherichia bacteria are mainly used in industrial microbiology as an extremely versatile host of beneficial heterologous proteins, which can be mass produced through E. coli. Lastly, unlike Lactobacilli, E. coli can be pathological and may cause diarrhea, meningitis or urinary tract infection (â€Å"Lactobacillus,† 2010; â€Å"Escherichia,† 2010). When it comes to the similarities between Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Escherichia coli, only two things need to be noted: they are both rod-shaped and they both have benefits in the field of biotechnology. As to the specialized functions of Lactobacilli, particularly Lactobacillus bulgaricus, based on the results of scientific research, this particular species of bacteria performs an important role in the activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, or AhR, pathway, which in turn inhibits the development of a pathological condition known as â€Å"dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced† colitis (Takamura et al., 2011). Moreover, Lactobacillus bulgaricus is also involved in the destruction and elminition of putrefactive or proteolytic bacteria in the bowels, which cause â€Å"intestinal auto-intoxication† thus causing a series of arteriosclerotic changes that lead to physical aging (â€Å"Lactobacillus,† 2011). In a similar way, E. coli bacteria have been helpful in the expression of heterologous proteins, as previously mentioned, as well as in studies that help to illustrate and explain in detail complex cellular responses (Lee & Lee, 2003). Moreover, E. coli is used in the conversion of glycerine into ethanol (â€Å"E.coli,† 2010). The