Streptococcus equinus
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 252 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_113594.1
Formerly Streptococcus bovis.
Among the smallest for a gut microbe: longer than 10% of the 2,354 we have genomes for.
37% G+C, higher than 18% 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_049393805.1
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.
- 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 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make propionate | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make lactic acid | Can | 2 of 2 genomes | — | Papers say yes |
| Can ferment fiber | Can | 0 of 2 genomes | 6 of 7 strains · strip test | No papers |
| Can eat inulin | Can | 0 of 2 genomes | 2 of 3 strains · strip test | No papers |
| Can eat resistant starch | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can eat pectin | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can use lactose | Can | 1 of 2 genomes | 4 of 7 strains | Papers say yes |
| Can feed on gut mucus | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can change bile acids | Can | 1 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make B vitamins | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make hydrogen sulfide | Not seen | 0 of 2 genomes | — | No papers |
| Can make methane | Not seen | 0 of 2 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