Carnobacterium maltaromaticum is a non-starter lactic acid bacterium frequently isolated from food
products. While this bacterium has been extensively studied in foods, very little is known about its fate
once ingested. In this study the strain C. maltaromaticum LMA 28 was given to mice by intragastric
gavage. Selective enumeration of C. maltaromaticum in the faeces showed that the bacterium is able to
survive through transit of the gut. In addition, experiments showed that C. maltaromaticum is able to
adhere to Caco-2, HT29, and T84 cell lines. Moreover, the measurement of four cytokines produced by
human peripheral blood mononuclear cells after incubation with the bacterium suggested that
C. maltaromaticum LMA 28 exhibit either a neutral or a slightly anti-inflammatory behaviour. The analysis
of the genome of C. maltaromaticum LMA 28 revealed it contains genes for adaptation to the gastrointestinal
tract.