Pato: prediction of probiotic bacteria using metabolic features.

Probiotics have gained recognition for their health-promoting benefits, particularly in the gastrointestinal and immunological systems. Among promising probiotic candidates, Lactobacillus strains, belonging to the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) group, play a significant role in human microbiota. To aid in the in silico identification of Lactobacillus strains with probiotic potential, this study presents a novel classification approach based on functional and metabolism-related elements, which offers improved accuracy and explainability compared to traditional k-mer-based methods. By considering the functional characteristics of genomic sequences, this approach contributes to a clearer understanding of the traits associated with probiotic activity, facilitating the selection of strains with optimal health-promoting attributes. The webserver is available at http://200.132.101.156:5001/ .