Klebsiella pneumoniae
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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_036794.1
Formerly Bacillus pneumoniae.
Among the largest for a gut microbe: longer than 92% 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 →
57% G+C, higher than 69% of gut microbes.
To scale: if its ID gene were 1 cm long, its genome would stretch 38 meters. Yours would stretch 21 kilometers. One reference genome; strains vary. NCBI GCF_000240185.1
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.
Not seen in its genomes: make butyrate, make propionate, eat resistant starch, eat pectin, feed on gut mucus, change bile acids, 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 91 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make propionate | Not seen | 0 of 91 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make lactic acid | Can | 91 of 91 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can ferment fiber | Can | 90 of 91 genomes | 50 of 51 strains · strip test | Papers say yes |
| Can eat inulin | Can | 90 of 91 genomes | 0 of 51 strains · strip test Strip tests often miss fiber-eaters, so this doesn't override the genomes. | No papers |
| Can eat resistant starch | Not seen | 0 of 91 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat pectin | Not seen | 0 of 91 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can use lactose | Can | 90 of 91 genomes | 53 of 58 strains | No papers |
| Can feed on gut mucus | Not seen | 0 of 91 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can change bile acids | Not seen | 0 of 91 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make B vitamins | Can | 90 of 91 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can make hydrogen sulfide | Not seen | 0 of 91 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make methane | Not seen | 0 of 91 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 16% 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 70 Klebsiella pneumoniae 0.3%
- 2,169 other microbes, each a sliver 56.4%
- 15.6%
On average, 0.3% of the microbes in a healthy gut: among the 70 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 1 condition and more common in 4 conditions. 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 · 1,189 linked papers, last 10 years