Bifidobacterium animalis
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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_043438.1
Formerly Bifidobacterium lactis.
Among the smallest for a gut microbe: longer than 10% of the 2,354 we have genomes for.
61% G+C, higher than 76% of gut microbes.
To scale: if its ID gene were 1 cm long, its genome would stretch 13 meters. Yours would stretch 21 kilometers. One reference genome; strains vary. NCBI GCF_000022965.1
What it can do
- Can make lactic acid What yogurt bacteria make; other microbes turn it into butyrate.
- Can make B vitamins Folate, B12, riboflavin and others.
- Can ferment fiber Breaks down dietary fiber that our own enzymes can't.
- Can eat inulin A fiber in onions, garlic, leeks, chicory and bananas (also sold as FOS).
- Can use lactose The sugar in milk and dairy.
- Can change bile acids Modifies the bile acids the liver makes to digest fat.
Not seen in its genomes: make butyrate, make propionate, eat resistant starch, eat pectin, feed on gut mucus, 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 17 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make propionate | Not seen | 0 of 17 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make lactic acid | Can | 17 of 17 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can ferment fiber | Can | 17 of 17 genomes | 6 of 7 strains · strip test | Papers say yes |
| Can eat inulin | Can | 1 of 17 genomes | 0 of 3 strains · strip test | Papers say yes |
| Can eat resistant starch | Not seen | 0 of 17 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat pectin | Not seen | 0 of 17 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can use lactose | Can | 17 of 17 genomes | 3 of 5 strains | No papers |
| Can feed on gut mucus | Not seen | 0 of 17 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can change bile acids | Can | 7 of 17 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can make B vitamins | Can | 17 of 17 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can make hydrogen sulfide | Not seen | 0 of 17 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make methane | Not seen | 0 of 17 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 7.4% 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 10% Bifidobacterium animalis 0.05%
- 2,169 other microbes, each a sliver 56.6%
- 15.6%
On average, 0.05% of the microbes in a healthy gut: larger than 90% 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.
In conditions
Compared with healthy people in the same studies, it’s less common in 1 condition 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 peopleIn studies of how people live
“Higher” is the study’s measure: on average, a bigger share of gut bacteria across everyone in the group, carriers or not. It isn’t how many people carry it. An association the authors report, measured once per person. It doesn’t mean a diet changes this microbe, or that the microbe affects health.
Recent research
Source: PubMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine · 1,339 linked papers, last 10 years
Strains studied
How much each strain has been studied in people, not whether it works. Many trials test a strain inside a blend, so those are counted apart, and reviews are summaries of trials, so they're never counted as more trials.
59 strains of B. animalis are named on product labels. 0 have human trials; 59 have none found yet, including Bl-04, which is in 387 products.
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No human trials found yet
B. animalis CUL-34
In 143 products →No human trials found yet
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No human trials found yet
-
No human trials found yet
B. animalis UABla-12
In 87 products →No human trials found yet
-
No human trials found yet
B. animalis SD-5219
In 31 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis B-420
In 23 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis BS01
In 22 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis BL818
In 18 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis CUL-62
In 13 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis HA-194
In 12 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis BA05
In 11 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis VPBA-4
In 11 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis VP-110
In 10 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis VP-111
In 10 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis SD-5859
In 9 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis UABIa-12
In 9 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis Bb-02
In 8 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis B42L
In 7 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis SD-5220
In 7 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis HN-19
In 6 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis NCIMB 30172
In 6 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis SD-5674
In 6 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis W51
In 6 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis BS-1
In 5 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis W52
In 5 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis ATCC SD5219
In 4 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis B94
In 4 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis BA-5
In 4 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis VK2
In 4 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis Bl050
In 3 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis BLC1
In 3 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis A026
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis ATCC SD6870
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis Bb-04
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis BIF-OLAC-12
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis CECT 8145
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis LMG P-29510
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis R101-8
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
B. animalis B1-04
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis B1C1
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis BL-2211
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis BL-3
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis BLa80
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis BLa8o
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis BPL1
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis CUL-69
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis H9019
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis HRVD524-US
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis KB-63
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis LAFTI 894
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis NCC-2818
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis SD-150-BE
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis UABla-1
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis UABla-20
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis VP-86
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis VP-92
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
B. animalis VP-94
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
Human trials, meta-analyses and systematic reviews naming the strain · animal and lab studies not counted · Data sources