Lacrimispora saccharolytica
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_102852.1
Formerly Clostridium saccharolyticum.
Large for a gut microbe: longer than 80% of the 2,354 we have genomes for.
45% G+C, higher than 44% of gut microbes.
To scale: if its ID gene were 1 cm long, its genome would stretch 31 meters. Yours would stretch 21 kilometers. One reference genome; strains vary. NCBI GCF_000144625.1
What it can do
- 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.
- Mixed evidence Can use lactose The sugar in milk and dairy. Genome analysis says yes; a lab test on 1 strain says no.
Not seen in its genomes: make butyrate, make propionate, eat inulin, eat resistant starch, eat pectin, feed on gut mucus, change bile acids, 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 | Not seen | 0 of 1 genome | — | No papers |
| Can make lactic acid | Can | 1 of 1 genome | — | No papers |
| Can ferment fiber | Can | 1 of 1 genome | — | 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 | Mixed evidence | 1 of 1 genome | 0 of 1 strain | No papers |
| Can feed on gut mucus | Not seen | 0 of 1 genome | — | No papers |
| Can change bile acids | Not seen | 0 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
In healthy guts
In conditions
In studies of how people live
Higher in omnivores than vegans
Fackelmann 2025 · 21,561 people Landmark study
Higher in 5 of 5 cohorts
“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.