| Summary: | <i>Ligilactobacillus salivarius</i> is an important member of the human and animal gut microbiota, and selected strains are promising probiotics, but knowledge of the characteristics of avian isolates is still limited. In this study, we examined selected phenotypic and genotypic traits of 33 <i>L. salivarius</i> strains from geese, chickens, turkeys and pigeons. The strains varied in terms of cell size, colony morphology, broth growth characteristics, biofilm formation, tolerance to bile, hydrophobicity and phenotypic and genotypic antibiotic resistance profiles. Large variation among strains was noted for the utilization of sorbitol, salicin, trehalose, rhamnose, inulin and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. The presence of genes related to sugar metabolism, i.e., <i>mipB</i>, <i>tktA</i>, <i>rhaB</i> and LSL_1894, was not always correlated with the biochemical phenotypic profile. Correlations were recorded between the host and utilization of certain sugars as well as tolerance to bile. The <i>repA</i>-type megaplasmid and genes coding for Abp118 bacteriocin were detected in 94% and 51.5% of <i>L. salivarius</i> strains, respectively. Phylogeny based on <i>groEL</i> gene sequences was partly correlated with the origin of the strains and revealed an evolutionary distance between <i>L. salivarius</i> strains from humans and birds. The results of the study contribute to knowledge of the characteristics of the species <i>L. salivarius</i>. Intraspecies variations of <i>L. salivarius</i> strains may affect their ability to colonize specific niches and utilize nutrients and reveal potential strain-dependent effects on host health.
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