The microorganism that I have selected is Lactobacillus acidophillus. "Lacto" means milk and "bacillus" means rod like. Acidophillus means it is acid loving. It is a member of the Kingdom Eubacteria. Its shape consists of rods with rounded ends. It is about .6-.9 x 1.5 micrometers in size according to Bergey's manual. L. acidophillus, as well as all members of its genus, are Gram-positive. It lives in acidic conditions and grows best at about 45 degrees Celsius. It is a nonspore forming organism.
L.Acidophillus is found in many different environments throughout the world. It is especially found in food sources such as dairy, grain, meat and fish products. It is however, found in sewage as well as in the human body. It is found in the intestinal tract and along the lining of the mouth to help in food digestion. During fermentation it will produce lactate and acetate. L. acidophillus produces the acids that make food taste sour. This also helps to preserve foods. Pathogenicity in the Lactobacillus genus is rare. Yogurt companies use this organism to turn milk into yogurt. It also very popular in Germany where they use it to form sauerkraut out of cabbage. The addition of this organism to a food will turn it into a more sour or acid loving environment.
*Disclaimer - This report was written by a student participaring in a microbiology course at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. The accuracy of the contents of this report is not guaranteed and it is recommended that you seek additional sources of information to verify the contents.
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