Hi Roberta,

> Then I wonder
> about pills, because how can you have a live culture in a pill - how
> long can something be alive in a pill??
For strorage and shipping bacterial cultures are normally lyophilized
(freeze-dried). The bacteria are harvested from whatever culture,
washed with isotonic buffers and then freeze-dried to give a powder
that can be stored, shipped , etc. The powder then is resuspended and
used (or swallowed :-)). Maybe that stabilizers (perhaps starches, I
don't know) are added when longtime storage can't be done at -20 to -
70 C as it is the case for for commercial puposes. This surely
complicates the problem for allergic patients.  I can't think
of any solution (sigh).

Sincerely, Sylvia