A mucus-layer specialist that lives on mucin and is present in most healthy adults. Explore its illustrative 3D model, human context, and sources.
A. muciniphila lives in the intestinal mucus layer and uses mucin as its carbon and nitrogen source. Reviews put it at 1 to 3% of the faecal microbiota and present in more than 90% of healthy adults tested, rising from 16% of samples at one month of age to 90% by twelve months and decreasing in the elderly. It is a Gram-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming oval cell that tolerates oxygen for up to 72 hours despite being an anaerobe. Lower abundance has been reported alongside obesity, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory and liver diseases, and small human trials of pasteurized preparations report metabolic effects; these remain exploratory findings rather than established treatments.
The reported links between this organism and metabolic health are associations, with the strongest interventional evidence coming from animal models and small exploratory human cohorts. A beneficial association does not establish safety, benefit or a treatment effect for any individual, and no disease is attributed to this organism in this profile.
Original schematic 3D phenotype. Reviews describe oval cells with a mean diameter of 0.6 to 1.0 micrometres, Gram-negative, non-motile and non-spore-forming, with high tolerance to oxygen for up to 72 hours. Reported dimensions differ with medium: about 640 by 690 nanometres in mucin medium and about 830 nanometres by 1 micrometre in brain heart infusion, so any stated size should name its medium. No flagella or endospore should be assigned; the cited reviews do not describe a capsule. Because this organism lives in the mucus layer, a mucin context may be depicted only if labelled as environment rather than cell structure. Colours, dimensions, layer thicknesses and displayed arrangements are diagram choices, not a measured individual cell. Independent scientific review remains pending.
Source check: 2026-09-19. Educational content; independent scientific review remains pending.