A novel strain of Lactobacillus fermentum, denoted strain Ess-1, which has been deposited at Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH and has been assigned accession number DSM17851. Lactobacillus fermentum, strain Ess-1, has shown valuable properties in the inhibition of Candida, and has medical uses, in particular for the treatment and/or prevention of candidasis and urinary tract infections. In addition, pharmaceutical products and articles include the novel bacterial strain.