Bacteriocin Typing

Bacteriocins are proteins produced by bacteria which are lethal for other members of the same species and, occasionally, for other species. In general, bacteriocins are active in very low concentrations against specific strains. This property has been widely utilized for the identification of types of strains within several bacterial species and most methods are based on the inability of a strain (indicator) to grow on an agar surface that has previously supported the growth of the bacteriocin producer strain.