Lactobacillus gasseri
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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_117573.1
Among the smallest for a gut microbe: longer than 9% of the 2,354 we have genomes for.
35% G+C, higher than 12% 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_000014425.1
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).
- Mixed evidence Can use lactose The sugar in milk and dairy. Published research reports it; genome analysis found it in none of 11 genomes.
- 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 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 11 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make propionate | Not seen | 0 of 11 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make lactic acid | Can | 11 of 11 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can ferment fiber | Can | 11 of 11 genomes | 8 of 92 strains · strip test Strip tests often miss fiber-eaters, so this doesn't override the genomes. | No papers |
| Can eat inulin | Can | 11 of 11 genomes | 0 of 79 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 11 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat pectin | Not seen | 0 of 11 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can use lactose | Mixed evidence | 0 of 11 genomes | 33 of 86 strains | Papers say yes |
| Can feed on gut mucus | Not seen | 0 of 11 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can change bile acids | Can | 1 of 11 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can make B vitamins | Not seen | 0 of 11 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make hydrogen sulfide | Not seen | 0 of 11 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make methane | Not seen | 0 of 11 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 4.2% 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 15% Lactobacillus gasseri 0.02%
- 2,169 other microbes, each a sliver 56.7%
- 15.6%
On average, 0.02% of the microbes in a healthy gut: larger than 85% 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 none and more common in 1 condition. 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 · 483 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.
27 strains of L. gasseri are named on product labels. 0 have human trials; 27 have none found yet, including LG-36, which is in 62 products.
L. gasseri LG-36
In 62 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri UALg-05
In 27 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri SD-5585
In 22 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri CUL-09
In 18 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri KS-13
In 16 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri VP-20
In 11 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri VP-107
In 10 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri VP-40
In 10 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri DSM 16737
In 8 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri L22G
In 7 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri LBV 150N
In 6 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri LAC-343
In 5 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri SD-5685
In 4 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri ATCC SD5585
In 3 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri BNR17
In 3 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri VPro16
In 3 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri CNCM I-5076
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri LMG P-29638
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri PA 16
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri SBT-2005
In 2 products →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri CUL-9
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri HLG13
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri LG08
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri LGS06
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri NI323
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri VP-70
In 1 product →No human trials found yet
L. gasseri VP-73
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