[Ruminococcus] torques
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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. One letter wasn’t read clearly in it, so it’s grey, not guessed. NCBI NR_036777.1
NCBI now calls it Mediterraneibacter torques.
Mid-sized for a gut microbe: longer than 45% of the 2,354 we have genomes for.
42% G+C, higher than 34% of gut microbes.
To scale: if its ID gene were 1 cm long, its genome would stretch 20 meters. Yours would stretch 21 kilometers. One reference genome; strains vary. NCBI GCF_044591705.1
What it can do
- Can make lactic acid What yogurt bacteria make; other microbes turn it into butyrate.
- Can use lactose The sugar in milk and dairy.
- Can feed on gut mucus Lives on mucin, the mucus that lines the gut.
- Can change bile acids Modifies the bile acids the liver makes to digest fat. 1 of 16 strains can
Not seen in its genomes: make butyrate, make propionate, ferment fiber, eat inulin, eat resistant starch, eat pectin, 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 16 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make propionate | Not seen | 0 of 16 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make lactic acid | Can | 16 of 16 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can ferment fiber | Not seen | 0 of 16 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat inulin | Not seen | 0 of 16 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat resistant starch | Not seen | 0 of 16 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat pectin | Not seen | 0 of 16 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can use lactose | Can | 16 of 16 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can feed on gut mucus | Can | 15 of 16 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can change bile acids | Some strains | 1 of 16 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make B vitamins | Not seen | 0 of 16 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make hydrogen sulfide | Not seen | 0 of 16 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make methane | Not seen | 0 of 16 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 58% 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 [Ruminococcus] torques 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 5 conditions and more common in 2 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 peopleIn studies of how people live
- Diet patterns →
[Ruminococcus] torques is highest in omnivores, then vegetarians, then vegans.
omnivores vs vegetarians: 5 of 5 cohorts · omnivores vs vegans: 5 of 5 cohorts · vegetarians vs vegans: 5 of 5 cohorts · 21,561 people · Italy, UK, US Fackelmann 2025
A difference is an association: it doesn't mean how people live changes this microbe, or that the microbe affects health.
Recent research
Source: PubMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine · 231 linked papers, last 10 years