Actinomyces urogenitalis
What's this?
- C
- G
- G
- C
- T
- T
- G
- A
- G
- T
- G
- C
- G
- G
- T
- A
- G
- G
- G
- G
- A
- G
- A
- C
Its ID gene: the stretch scientists read to tell microbes apart. Each bar is one letter of its DNA. Every species has its own order of letters, so the pattern works like a fingerprint. Close relatives share most of it.
16S rRNA gene, V4 region: the 253 letters between the standard primers (515F/806R), which are the same in every species. One reference sequence; strains can differ by a letter or two. NCBI NR_025364.1
Small for a gut microbe: longer than 28% of the 2,354 we have genomes for.
69% G+C, higher than 94% of gut microbes.
To scale: if its ID gene were 1 cm long, its genome would stretch 17 meters. Yours would stretch 21 kilometers. One reference genome; strains vary. NCBI GCF_002861525.1
What it can do
- Can make lactic acid What yogurt bacteria make; other microbes turn it into butyrate.
- Can ferment fiber Breaks down dietary fiber that our own enzymes can't.
- Mixed evidence Can eat pectin A fiber in apples, citrus and other fruit. Published research reports it; genome analysis found it in none of 2 genomes.
- Can use lactose The sugar in milk and dairy.
Not seen in its genomes or lab tests: make butyrate, make propionate, eat inulin, eat resistant starch, feed on gut mucus, change bile acids, make B vitamins, make hydrogen sulfide, make methane.
All 13 capabilities and their evidence
| Capability | Verdict | Genome analysis | Lab tests | Published research |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Can make butyrate | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make propionate | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make lactic acid | Can | 2 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can ferment fiber | Can | 2 of 2 genomes | 9 of 9 strains · strip test | Papers say yes |
| Can eat inulin | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | 0 of 3 strains · strip test | No papers |
| Can eat resistant starch | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat pectin | Mixed evidence | 0 of 2 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can use lactose | Can | 2 of 2 genomes | 9 of 9 strains | No papers |
| Can feed on gut mucus | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can change bile acids | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make B vitamins | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make hydrogen sulfide | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make methane | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
AGORA2 (Heinken et al. 2023) via VMH, CC BY 4.0 · BacDive (DSMZ), CC BY 4.0 · NJC19 (Lim et al., Scientific Data 2020), CC0
In healthy guts
Found in under 1% of healthy people.
- largest Segatella copri 6.2%
- 2nd largest Phocaeicola vulgatus 5.0%
- 3rd largest Faecalibacterium prausnitzii 4.7%
- 4th largest Bacteroides uniformis 3.2%
- 5th largest Agathobacter rectalis 2.5%
- 6th largest Alistipes putredinis 2.3%
- 7th largest Bifidobacterium longum 2.1%
- 8th largest Ruminococcus bromii 1.8%
- top 20% Actinomyces urogenitalis 0.01%
- 2,169 other microbes, each a sliver 56.7%
- 15.6%
On average, 0.01% of the microbes in a healthy gut: larger than 80% of species’ slices.
Every group, drawn the same way. Only some samples record age or sex, so each group says how many people it comes from. Tap one to see it above.