1. Lactic acid bacteria : an introduction / Atte Von Wright and Lars Axelsson -- 2. Genetics of lactic acid bacteria / Lorenzo Morelli ... [et al.] -- 3. Potential applications of probiotic, bacteriocin-producing enterococci and their bacteriocins / Andrea Laukov ̀-- 4. Genus Lactococcus / Atte Von Wright -- 5. Genus Lactobacillus / Rodolphe Barrangou ... [et al.] -- 6. The lesser LAB gods : Pediococcus, Leuconostoc, Weissella, Carnobacterium, and affiliated genera / Geert Huys, Jr̜gen Leisner, and Johanna Bjr̲kroth -- 7. Streptococcus : a brief update on the current taxonomic status of the genus / John R. Tagg, Philip A. Wescombe, and Jeremy P. Burton -- 8. Bifidobacteria : general overview on ecology, taxonomy, and genomics / Marco Ventura, Francesca Turroni, and Douwe Van Sinderen -- 9. Bacteriophage and anti-phage mechanisms in lactic acid bacteria / Susan Mills ... [et al.] -- 10. Lactic acid bacteria in vegetable fermentations / Kun-Young Park and Boh Kyung Kim -- 11. Current challenges for probiotics in food / Jean-Michel Antoine -- 12. Lactic acid bacteria in cereal-based products / Hannu Salovaara and Michael Gñzle -- 13. Lactic acid bacteria in meat fermentations / Cecilia Fontana ... [et al.] -- 14. Examples of lactic-fermented foods of the African continent / Charles M.A.P. Franz and Wilhelm H. Holzapfel -- 15. Antimicrobial components of lactic acid bacteria / Ingolf F. Nes, Morten Kjos, and Dzung Bao Diep -- 16. Atherosclerosis and gut microbiota : a potential target for probiotics / Chan Yee Kwan ... [et al.] -- 17. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in grape fermentations : an example of LAB as contaminants in food poisoning / Eveline Bartowsky -- 18. Stability of lactic acid bacteria in foods and supplements / Miguel Gueimonde, Clara G. De Los Reyes-Gavilǹ, and Borja Sǹchez -- 19. Lactic acid bacteria in the gut / Maria Stolaki ... [et al.] -- 20. Lactic acid bacteria in oral health / Jukka H. Meurman and Iva Stamatova -- 21. Some considerations for the safety of novel probiotic bacteria / Diana C. Donohue and Miguel Gueimonde -- 22. Probiotics and human immune function / Harsharnjit S. Gill, Jaya Prasad, and Osaana Donkor -- 23. Gastrointestinal benefits of probiotics : clinical evidence / Anna Lyra, Sampo Lahtinen, and Arthur C. Ouwehand -- 24. Human studies on probiotics : infants and children / Hania Szajewska -- 25. Human studies on probiotics and endogenous lactic acid bacteria in the urogenital tract / Wayne L. Miller and Gregor Reid -- 26. Lactic acid bacteria and blood pressure / Pauliina Ehlers and Riitta Korpela -- 27. Probiotics for companion animals / Minna Rinkinen -- 28. Prevalence and application of lactic acid bacteria in aquatic environments / Hľn̈e L. Lauzon and Einar Ring ̜-- 29. Probiotics for farm animals / Alojz Bomba ... [et al.] -- 30. Health effects of nonviable probiotics / Sampo J. Lahtinen and Akihito Endo -- 31. Probiotics : safety and efficacy / Seppo Salminen and Atte Von Wright -- 32. Probiotics regulation in Asian countries / Yuan Kun Lee ... [et al.] -- 33. Regulation of probiotic and probiotic health claims in South America / Cľia Lucia de Luces Fortes Ferreira and Marcelo Bonnet.