Plate · Bacteroidota

species · NCBI 28117

Alistipes putredinis

Its ID gene (16S) · each bar is one letter A C G T NCBI 16S

What's this?

Zoomed in: letters 115–138

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_113152.1

Formerly Bacteroides putredinis.

Healthy guts70%

Samples15,443

Products0

Genome · 2.6 million letters · 53% G+C

Shortest we have Mycoplasmoides genitalium 0.6M

⋮ 709 shorter

Alistipes putredinis 2.6M

Alistipes average 3.2M

⋮ 1,642 longer

Longest we have Bradyrhizobium altum 9.8M

Small for a gut microbe: longer than 30% of the 2,354 we have genomes for.

53% G+C, higher than 60% 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_000154465.1

Lab traits Anaerobe Cell shape: not yet known

Also known as Bacteroides putredinisPseudobacterium putredinisRistella putredinis

Capabilities, not measurements of anyone's gut

What it can do

Makes

Can make propionate A short-chain fatty acid, mostly used by the liver.

Changes

Can change bile acids Modifies the bile acids the liver makes to digest fat.

Not seen in its genomes or lab tests: make butyrate, make lactic acid, ferment fiber, eat inulin, eat resistant starch, eat pectin, use lactose, feed on gut mucus, 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 1 genome	—	No papers
Can make propionate	Can	1 of 1 genome	—	Papers say yes
Can make lactic acid	Not seen	0 of 1 genome	—	No papers
Can ferment fiber	Not seen	0 of 1 genome	0 of 1 strain · strip test	No papers
Can eat inulin	Not seen	0 of 1 genome	—	No papers
Can eat resistant starch	Not seen	0 of 1 genome	—	No papers
Can eat pectin	Not seen	0 of 1 genome	—	No papers
Can use lactose	Not seen	0 of 1 genome	—	No papers
Can feed on gut mucus	Not seen	0 of 1 genome	—	No papers
Can change bile acids	Can	1 of 1 genome	—	No papers
Can make B vitamins	Not seen	0 of 1 genome	—	No papers
Can make hydrogen sulfide	Not seen	0 of 1 genome	—	No papers
Can make methane	Not seen	0 of 1 genome	—	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

What’s typical · a description, not a comparison

In healthy guts

Everyone · 12,213 people · 129 studies

How common

Found in 70% of healthy people.

How big a slice of the gut

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%
2,170 other microbes, each a sliver 56.7%
15.6%

On average, 2.3% of the microbes in a healthy gut: the 6th largest slice.

By age and sex

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.

By age

367 people · 7.6% carry it 0.1% of the microbes top 80

198 people · 5 studies 53% carry it 2.2% of the microbes 9th largest

57 people · 65% carry it 2.3% of the microbes 8th largest

1,283 people · 27 studies 76% carry it 2.4% of the microbes 7th largest

142 people · 15 studies 71% carry it 2.2% of the microbes 5th largest

By sex

2,063 people · 68% carry it 2.3% of the microbes 7th largest

1,530 people · 29 studies 65% carry it 1.9% of the microbes 8th largest

Compared within studies that had both

In conditions

Compared with healthy people in the same studies, it’s less common in 9 conditions and more common in 1 condition. Only studies that had both are counted.

A difference is an association: it doesn’t mean this microbe causes, prevents or treats any of these.

Strongest first, then the biggest gap · Each figure is 10 people

Ulcerative colitis 820 people · 7 studies Less common in people with it Healthy 70% With it 40%
Crohn's disease 1,313 people · 8 studies Less common in people with it Healthy 69% With it 41%
Chronic fatigue syndrome 302 people · 3 studies Less common in people with it Healthy 83% With it 68%
Neuroblastoma 95 people · 2 studies Less common in people with it Healthy 67% With it 34%
Irritable bowel syndrome 372 people · 2 studies Less common in people with it Healthy 75% With it 54%
Diarrhea 65 people · 1 study Less common in people with it Healthy 80% With it 12%
Clostridium infections 24 people · 1 study Less common in people with it Healthy 63% With it 4.2%
Cystic fibrosis 52 people · 1 study Less common in people with it Healthy 28% With it 0%
High blood pressure 50 people · 1 study More common in people with it Healthy 61% With it 90%
Loss of appetite 50 people · 1 study Less common in people with it Healthy 62% With it 28%

Fig. 1 · By how people live

In studies of how people live

All factors →

Diet patterns →
Alistipes putredinis is higher in omnivores than in vegetarians or vegans.
omnivores vs vegetarians: 5 of 5 cohorts · omnivores vs vegans: 4 of 5 cohorts · 21,561 people · Italy, UK, US Fackelmann 2025

A difference is an association: it doesn't mean how people live changes this microbe, or that the microbe affects health.

PubMed · human studies and reviews first

Recent research

All research on it

Randomized trial Nutrients · 2026
Sourdough Bread and Baker's Yeast Bread Affect Gut Symptoms and Targeted Gut Microbial Taxa Differently: A Randomised Controlled Trial.
PubMed ↗
Randomized trial Cancer prevention research · 2026
Weight Loss and Omega-3 Supplementation Modulate the Microbiome in Women with Increased Breast Cancer Risk.
PubMed ↗
Randomized trial Gut microbes · 2026
Increasing plant protein sources in the diet modulates gut microbiota and tryptophan metabolism in men at cardiometabolic risk.
PubMed ↗
Observational Translational stroke research · 2026
A Segatella Copri-centered Gut Microbiota-mediated Metabolic Dysregulation Associated with Transition from Asymptomatic to Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerosis.
PubMed ↗
Randomized trial Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2026
The Effects of Soy Protein-Rich Meals on Muscle Health of Older Adults Are Linked to Gut Microbiome Modifications.
PubMed ↗

Source: PubMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine · 72 linked papers, last 10 years