Isolation, molecular identification, and probiotic potential of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum from feces of captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

Vet World Vol.19 February-2026 Article - 6

Research Article

Veterinary World, 19(2): 539-553

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2026.539-553

Mariya Sewaka¹, Rachadaporn Srisamut², Patarapol Maneeorn³, Wipawee Saengsoi², Dhiravit Chantip¹, Sirisak Cheechang², Sulaiman Madyod¹, and Wiruntita Bohman²

1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya, Thung Yai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.

2. Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya, Thung Yai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.

3. Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Bangkok, Thailand.

Background and Aim: The gastrointestinal health of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) is critically dependent on hindgut microbial fermentation, yet host-specific probiotic strains derived from elephants remain poorly characterized. Although lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widely recognized for their probiotic benefits, systematic evaluation of elephant-origin LAB, including molecular identification and safety assessment, is limited. This study aimed to isolate LAB from the feces of healthy captive Asian elephants and comprehensively evaluate their in vitro probiotic potential, safety profile, and molecular identity to support the development of host-adapted probiotic candidates.

Materials and Methods: Fresh fecal samples were collected from 25 clinically healthy captive Asian elephants housed at four elephant camps in Krabi Province, Thailand. LAB were isolated using de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe agar and subjected to preliminary phenotypic and biochemical characterization. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated against five pathogenic indicator bacteria using the disk diffusion method. Probiotic functional properties were assessed through acid tolerance (pH 3.0), bile salt tolerance (1%), cell surface hydrophobicity, and autoaggregation assays. Safety evaluation included hemolytic activity and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Molecular identification of selected isolates was performed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing followed by phylogenetic analysis.

Results: A total of 195 LAB isolates were recovered, of which 52 exhibited antimicrobial activity against all tested pathogens. Eleven isolates demonstrated superior probiotic attributes, with acid and bile salt survival rates ranging from 74.67%–91.67% and 75.17%–98.15%, respectively. These isolates showed strong antimicrobial activity (inhibition zones 12–15 mm), high cell surface hydrophobicity (74.03%–92.24%), and substantial autoaggregation capacity (70.60%–85.74%). All selected isolates were non-hemolytic and susceptible to clinically relevant antibiotics. Molecular analysis identified seven isolates as Enterococcus faecalis and four as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. Among them, isolates I9, I56, and I145 (L. plantarum) exhibited the most consistent and robust probiotic characteristics.

Conclusion: This study provides the first molecularly validated and comprehensive in vitro evaluation of probiotic LAB isolated from captive Asian elephants. The identified L. plantarum strains, particularly isolates I9, I56, and I145, demonstrated strong functional and safety profiles, supporting their potential as host-specific probiotics for improving gastrointestinal health and disease management in captive and wild Asian elephants.

Keywords: 16S rRNA gene, Asian elephant, gut microbiota, lactic acid bacteria, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, probiotic potential, safety assessment, in vitro evaluation.

How to cite this article: Sewaka M., Srisamut R., Maneeorn P., Saengsoi W., Chantip D., Cheechang S., Madyod S., Bohman W. Isolation, molecular identification, and probiotic potential of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum from feces of captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). Vet World. 2026;19(2):539–553.

Received: 12-09-2025 Accepted: 05-01-2026 Published online: 10-02-2026

Corresponding author: Wiruntita Bohman E-mail: wiruntita.c@rmutsv.ac.th

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2026.539-553

Copyright: Sewaka, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.