Probiotics represent a possible strategy for controlling intestinal infections in livestock. Members of the Weissella genus are increasingly being studied for health-related applications in animals and humans. Here we investigated the functional properties of two Weissella cibaria strains isolated from cows reared in Kuwait breeding facilities by combining phenotypic with genomic analyses. W. cibaria SP7 and SP19 exhibited good growth in vitro under acidic conditions and in the presence of bile salts compared to the reference probiotic Lacticaseibacillus (formerly Lactobacillus) rhamnosus GG. Both strains were able to adhere to Caco-2 and HT-29 cell lines, as well as to mucin. The cell-free supernatants of the two isolates exhibited inhibitory activity towards Escherichia coli ATCC 25,922 and Salmonella enterica UC3605, which was ultimately due to the low pH of supernatants. W. cibaria SP19 showed a co-aggregation ability similar to that of L. rhamnosus GG when incubated with S. enterica. Whole genome sequencing and analysis revealed that both strains harbored several genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and general stress responses, indicating bacterial adaptation to the gastrointestinal environment. We also detected genes involved in the adhesion to host epithelial cells or extracellular matrix. No evidence of acquired antibiotic resistance or hemolytic activity was found in either strain. These findings shed light on the potential of W. cibaria for probiotic use in livestock and on the mechanisms underlying host-microbe interaction in the gut. W. cibaria` strain SP19 exhibited the best combination of in vitro probiotic properties and genetic markers, and is a promising candidate for further investigation.

益生菌代表了一种控制家畜肠道感染的可能策略。Weissella属的成员越来越多地被研究用于动物和人类的健康相关应用。在这里，我们通过结合表型和基因组分析，研究了从科威特育种设施饲养的奶牛中分离出的两种Weissella cibaria菌株的功能特性。 W. cibaria SP7和SP19与参考益生菌在酸性条件下和在胆盐的存在下表现出良好的体外生长Lacticaseibacillus（原乳杆菌）鼠李糖GG。两种菌株都能够粘附到 Caco-2 和 HT-29 细胞系以及粘蛋白上。两种分离物的无细胞上清液对大肠杆菌ATCC 25,922 和沙门氏菌UC3605表现出抑制活性，这最终是由于上清液的低 pH 值。W. cibaria SP19在与S. enterica孵育时表现出与L. rhamnosus GG相似的共聚集能力. 全基因组测序和分析表明，这两种菌株都含有几个参与碳水化合物代谢和一般应激反应的基因，表明细菌对胃肠道环境的适应。我们还检测到与宿主上皮细胞或细胞外基质粘附有关的基因。在任一菌株中均未发现获得性抗生素抗性或溶血活性的证据。这些发现揭示了W. cibaria在牲畜中使用益生菌的潜力以及肠道中宿主-微生物相互作用的潜在机制。W. cibaria`菌株 SP19 表现出体外益生菌特性和遗传标记的最佳组合，是进一步研究的有希望的候选者。