METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR DETERMINING BACTERIAL INTEGRITY

1 . A method for determining the integrity of a bacterial composition, the method comprising: growing the bacterial composition on a selective medium, wherein the bacterial composition comprises a bacterial strain, and

wherein if the bacterial composition grows slower on the selective medium than on a non-selective medium, the integrity of the bacterial composition is compromised.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising growing the bacterial composition on the non-selective medium.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bacterial composition was lyophilized prior to growing the bacterial composition.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein if the integrity of the bacterial composition is compromised, the bacterial composition is not used to prepare a live bacterial product.

5 . A method for determining the integrity of a first bacterial composition, the method comprising: growing the first bacterial composition on a selective medium, wherein the first bacterial composition comprises a bacterial strain;

growing a second bacterial composition on the selective medium, wherein the second bacterial composition comprises a bacterial strain, and

wherein if the first bacterial composition grows slower than the second bacterial composition, the integrity of the first bacterial composition is compromised.

6 . A method for determining the integrity of a first bacterial composition, the method comprising: growing the first bacterial composition on a selective medium,

growing the first bacterial composition on a non-selective medium, wherein the first bacterial composition comprises a bacterial strain;

growing a second bacterial composition on the selective medium,

growing the second bacterial composition on the non-selective medium, wherein the second bacterial composition comprises a bacterial strain;

wherein if the difference in growth between the selective medium and the non-selective medium for the first bacterial composition is greater than the difference in growth between the selective medium and the non-selective medium for the second bacterial composition, and both the first bacterial composition and the second bacterial composition grow slower on the selective medium than the non-selective medium, the integrity of the first bacterial composition is compromised.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the first bacterial composition was lyophilized prior to growing the first bacterial composition.

8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the second bacterial composition was lyophilized prior to growing the second bacterial composition.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selective medium is a bile acid media.

10 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the first bacterial composition and the second bacterial composition comprise the same bacterial strain.

11 . The method of claim 5 , wherein if the integrity of the first bacterial composition is compromised, the first bacterial composition is not used to prepare a live bacterial product.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bacterial strain is an anaerobic bacterial strain.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bacterial strain belongs to the class Clostridia.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bacterial strain belongs to the family Clostridiaceae.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bacterial strain belongs to the genus Clostridium.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bacterial strain is selected from the group consisting of Clostridium bolteae, Anaerotruncus colihominis, Ruminococcus torques, Clostridium symbiosum, Blautia producta, Dorea longicatena, Erysipelotrichaceae bacterium , and Subdolinogranulum spp.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the bacterial strain is Clostridium bolteae.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the bacterial strain is Dorea longicatena.

19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bacterial strain comprises a 16S rDNA sequence having at least 97% sequence identity with a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1-8.