: Bacterial strains used as Probiotics and starters are mainly belong to heterogeneous group of bacteria known as Lactic Acid bacteria (LAB) which are found abundantly in nature and colonize the gastrointestinaland urogenital tracts of humans. Many species of this group of bacteria are mainly used due to their health benefits as probiotics or to their fermentative role as starters, and or as supplements. Antibiotic resistance is an intrinsic nature of most of the bacteria and could be transferable. About 50 years ago, antibiotics were introduced for the treatment of microbial diseases. However, bacteria have been able to evolve to become resistant to antibiotics. Recent investigations revealed that LAB may act as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes in the gastrointestinal tract. These resistance genes might be transferred to other bacteria through the specialized mechanisms and reduce the therapeutic possibilities in treatment infectious diseases. It is therefore necessaryto perform safety assessments and looking for the presence of transferable antibiotic resistance genes in LAB before being used as probiotic strains or as starter cultures of fermented food. Owing to these facts it is thus essential to evaluate our local Probiotic strains of technological and industrial importance for antibiotic resistance genes in order to avoid the emergence of antibiotic resistant other bacteria.

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