Bacteroides xylanisolvens
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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_112947.1
Among the largest for a gut microbe: longer than 97% of the 2,354 we have genomes for.
Bigger genomes usually carry more tools: it can do 5 of the 13 things we track, more than most gut microbes. See what it can do →
42% G+C, higher than 34% of gut microbes.
To scale: if its ID gene were 1 cm long, its genome would stretch 44 meters. Yours would stretch 21 kilometers. One reference genome; strains vary. NCBI GCF_018289135.1
What it can do
- Can make propionate A short-chain fatty acid, mostly used by the liver.
- 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.
- Can eat pectin A fiber in apples, citrus and other fruit.
- Can use lactose The sugar in milk and dairy.
- Mixed evidence Can feed on gut mucus Lives on mucin, the mucus that lines the gut. Published research reports it; genome analysis found it in none of 9 genomes.
Not seen in its genomes: make butyrate, eat inulin, eat resistant starch, 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 9 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make propionate | Can | 9 of 9 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can make lactic acid | Can | 9 of 9 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can ferment fiber | Can | 9 of 9 genomes | 4 of 4 strains · strip test | Papers say yes |
| Can eat inulin | Not seen | 0 of 9 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat resistant starch | Not seen | 0 of 9 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat pectin | Can | 0 of 9 genomes | 1 of 1 strain · strip test | No papers |
| Can use lactose | Can | 9 of 9 genomes | 2 of 2 strains | Papers say yes |
| Can feed on gut mucus | Mixed evidence | 0 of 9 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can change bile acids | Some strains | 3 of 9 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make B vitamins | Not seen | 0 of 9 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make hydrogen sulfide | Not seen | 0 of 9 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make methane | Not seen | 0 of 9 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 59% 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 50 Bacteroides xylanisolvens 0.5%
- 2,169 other microbes, each a sliver 56.2%
- 15.6%
On average, 0.5% of the microbes in a healthy gut: among the 50 largest 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.
In conditions
Compared with healthy people in the same studies, it’s less common in 6 conditions and more common in none. 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 peopleRecent research
Source: PubMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine · 75 linked papers, last 10 years