Desulfovibrio desulfuricans
What's this?
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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_104990.1
Formerly Bacillus desulfuricans.
Mid-sized for a gut microbe: longer than 60% of the 2,354 we have genomes for.
57% G+C, higher than 68% of gut microbes.
To scale: if its ID gene were 1 cm long, its genome would stretch 24 meters. Yours would stretch 21 kilometers. One reference genome; strains vary. NCBI GCF_017815575.1
What it can do
- Mixed evidence Can make butyrate A short-chain fatty acid that feeds the cells lining the colon. Published research reports it; genome analysis found it in none of 2 genomes.
- Mixed evidence Can make propionate A short-chain fatty acid, mostly used by the liver. Published research reports it; genome analysis found it in none of 2 genomes.
- Can make lactic acid What yogurt bacteria make; other microbes turn it into butyrate.
- Can make hydrogen sulfide A gas with the rotten-egg smell.
Not seen in its genomes: ferment fiber, eat inulin, eat resistant starch, eat pectin, use lactose, feed on gut mucus, change bile acids, make B vitamins, make methane.
All 13 capabilities and their evidence
| Capability | Verdict | Genome analysis | Lab tests | Published research |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Can make butyrate | Mixed evidence | 0 of 2 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can make propionate | Mixed evidence | 0 of 2 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can make lactic acid | Can | 2 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can ferment fiber | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat inulin | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat resistant starch | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat pectin | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can use lactose | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | 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 | Can | 2 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 2.9% 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%
- Desulfovibrio desulfuricans under 0.01%
- 2,169 other microbes, each a sliver 56.7%
- 15.6%
On average, a sliver, under 0.01% of the microbes in a healthy gut.
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 none 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.
In 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.