A Special Fondness for Lactobacilli

physiologist, and popularizer of science, established new paths of research in population genetics and evolution.Emphasizing the immensity of the Milky Way in the night sky and the fact that there were 400,000 species of beetles but only 8,000 species of mammals, he is reported to have said, "If one could conclude as to the nature of the Creator from the study of his creation, it would appear that God has a special fondness for stars and beetles."In a similar vein of thought, perusal of the issues of American Society for Microbiology journals and others published in recent years might cause the reader to conclude that microbiologists have a special fondness for lactobacilli.Fifty-two publications concerning lactobacilli (with "lactobacillus" or "lactobacilli" appearing in the article title or abstract) have appeared in Applied and Environmental Microbiology alone during 2003.It is no wonder: these are fascinating and useful bacteria.