Lactobacillus delbrueckii
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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_043183.1
Formerly Lactobacillus bulgaricus.
Among the smallest for a gut microbe: longer than 8% of the 2,354 we have genomes for.
50% G+C, higher than 55% 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_001888925.1
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.
- 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 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 | Not seen | 0 of 9 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make lactic acid | Can | 9 of 9 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can ferment fiber | Can | 8 of 9 genomes | 6 of 31 strains · strip test Strip tests often miss fiber-eaters, so this doesn't override the genomes. | No papers |
| Can eat inulin | Can | 8 of 9 genomes | 0 of 31 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 9 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat pectin | Not seen | 0 of 9 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can use lactose | Can | 8 of 9 genomes | 20 of 27 strains | Papers say yes |
| Can feed on gut mucus | Not seen | 0 of 9 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can change bile acids | Not seen | 0 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 5.3% 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%
- Lactobacillus delbrueckii 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 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 in vegetarians 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.
Recent research
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.
25 strains of L. delbrueckii are named on product labels. 0 have human trials; 25 have none found yet, including Lb-87, which is in 77 products.
L. delbrueckii Lb-87
In 77 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii SD-6833
In 24 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii Lb-64
In 16 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii HA-137
In 12 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii VP-10
In 11 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii VPLB-7
In 11 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii VP-109
In 10 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii VP-23
In 10 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii VP-31
In 10 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii L88B
In 7 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii LB-51
In 5 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii Ll-23
In 5 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii ATCC SD5589
In 4 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii PXN 39
In 4 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii R9001
In 4 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii VPro12
In 3 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii VPro315
In 3 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii NBRC 13953
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii UALb-15
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii BGBX-19
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii LB42
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii Ll-34
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii MAK55L88B
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii NX 5856
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
L. delbrueckii W-19
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