[Finding of dairy yeasts Kluyveromyces lactis var. lactis in natural habitats].

Well-known yeasts Kluyveromyces lactis var. lactis, which are usually associated with dairy prod- ucts, were discovered in nature (in woodland park soil under Impatiens glandulifera Royle plants). Reliable identification of the yeasts was carried out using physiological criteria (lactose and maltose utilization) and molecular markers (nucleotide sequence of the 5.8S-ITS rDNA fragment, pulsed-field electrophoresis, and Southern hybridization of chromosomal DNA with the LAC4 probe). Ecology of KI. lactis var. lactis is discussed.