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INTRODUCTION At the population level, increased glycaemia is associated with increased risk of micro- and macro-vascular diseases, (1-4) even in the nondiabetic range. (5) Thus, population-based approaches to improve glycaemia [...], BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Evidence from animal and in vitro models suggest a role of probiotic bacteria in improving glycaemic control and delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes. However, the evidence from controlled trials in humans is limited. The objective was to determine if the probiotic bacteria L. acidophilus La5 and B. animalis subsp lactis Bb12, supplemented in a whole food (yoghurt) or isolated (capsules) form, can improve biomarkers of glycaemic control. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Following a 3-week washout period, 156 overweight men and women over 55 years (mean age: 67 ± 8 years; mean body mass index (31 ± 4 kg/[m.sup.2]) were randomized to a 6-week double-blinded parallel study. The four intervention groups were: (A) probiotic yoghurt plus probiotic capsules;(B) probiotic yoghurt plus placebo capsules;(C) control milk plus probiotic capsules; and (D) control milk plus placebo capsules. Outcome measurements, including fasting glucose, insulin, glycated haemoglobin and Homoeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), were performed at baseline and week 6. RESULTS: Relative to the milk-control group, probiotic yoghurt resulted in a significantly higher HOMA-IR (0.32 [+ or - ] 0.15, P = 0.038), but did not have a significant effect on the other three measures of glycaemic control (P>0.05). Relative to placebo capsules, probiotic capsules resulted in a significantly higher fasting glucose (0.15 ± 0.07 mmol/l, P = 0.037), with no significant effect on the other three measures of glycaemic control (P>0.05). Further analyses did not identify other variables as contributing to these adverse findings. CONCLUSIONS: Data from this study does not support the hypothesis that L. acidophilus La5 and B. animalis subsp lactis Bb12, either in isolated form or as part of a whole food, benefit short-term glycaemic control. Indeed, there is weak data for an adverse effect of these strains on glucose homoeostasis. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2014) 68, 447-452; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.294; published online 26 February 2014 Keywords: probiotics; yoghurt; dairy products; blood glucose; insulin resistance

The usefulness of rpoA, recA, and pyrH gene sequences for the identification of vibrios is analyzed. It is concluded that strains of the same species will have at least 98, 94, and 94% rpoA, recA, and pyrH gene sequence similarity, respectively.