The research of novel probiotic strains is important in order to satisfy the increasing request of the market and to obtain functional products in which the probiotic cultures are more active and have better probiotic characteristics than those already on the market. In this study, the probiotic potential of Lactobacillus and Enterococcus strains isolated from human feces was investigated. One hundred seven strains of lactic acid bacteria were isolated from the fecal samples of 19 adult volunteers with stomach problems and the fecal samples of 12 healthy adult volunteers. The strains were identified by 16S rRNA analysis and examined for resistance to gastric acidity (pH 3.5) and bile salts (0.3% bile salt). The antibiotic susceptibility of the strains was also determined. The counts of lactic acid bacteria in the fecal samples ranged from 1.7 x 10(7) to 3.1 x 10(10) CFU/g. The species present in those samples were found to be Lactobacillus plantarum L. fermentum, Enterococcus faecium and E. durans. Results indicated that L. plantarum (AA1-2, AA17-73, AC18-88, AK4-11, and AK7-28), L. fermentum (AB5-18, BB16-75, and AK4-180), E. faecium (AB20-98 and BK11-50) and E. durans (AK4-14 and BK9-40) showed good pH and bile tolerance. These strains are potentially good candidates for use as health-promoting bacteria. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel