''Bacteroides ureolyticus'' is a species in the bacterial
genus of
Gram-negative,
obligately anaerobic bacteria. ''Bacteroides'' species are non-
endospore
An endospore is a dormant, tough, and non-reproductive structure produced by some bacteria in the phylum Bacillota. The name "endospore" is suggestive of a spore or seed-like form (''endo'' means 'within'), but it is not a true spore (i.e., no ...
-forming
bacilli, and may be either
motile or non-motile, depending on the species.
The DNA base composition is 40–48%
GC. Unusual in bacterial organisms, ''Bacteroides'' membranes contain
sphingolipids. They also contain
meso-diaminopimelic acid in their
peptidoglycan layer
Peptidoglycan or murein is a unique large macromolecule, a polysaccharide, consisting of sugars and amino acids that forms a mesh-like peptidoglycan layer outside the plasma membrane, the rigid cell wall (murein sacculus) characteristic of most ba ...
.
''Bacteroides'' are normally
mutualistic, a substantial portion of the mammalian
gastrointestinal flora,
and they process complex molecules into simpler ones.
As many as 10
10-10
11 cells per gram of human feces have been reported.
They can use
simple sugars when available; however, the main sources of energy for ''Bacteroides'' species in the gut are complex host-derived and plant
glycan
The terms glycans and polysaccharides are defined by IUPAC as synonyms meaning "compounds consisting of a large number of monosaccharides linked glycosidically". However, in practice the term glycan may also be used to refer to the carbohydrate p ...
s.
Pathophysiology
''Bacteroides ureolyticus'' has been isolated from pregnant women with symptoms of
bacterial vaginosis
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a disease of the vagina caused by excessive growth of bacteria. Common symptoms include increased vaginal discharge that often smells like fish. The discharge is usually white or gray in color. Burning with urination ...
.
Other species
* ''
B. acidifaciens''
* ''
B. distasonis'' (reclassified as ''
Parabacteroides distasonis
''Parabacteroides distasonis'' is a Gram-negative, non-sporeforming, obligately anaerobic, rod-shaped, and non-motile bacterium from the genus of Parabacteroides
''Parabacteroides'' is a Gram-negative, anaerobic, non-spore-forming genus from ...
'')
* ''
B. gracilis''
* ''
B. fragilis''
* ''
B. oris''
* ''
B. ovatus''
* ''
B. putredinis''
* ''
B. pyogenes''
* ''
B. stercoris''
* ''
B. suis''
* ''
B. tectus''
* ''
B. thetaiotaomicron''
* ''B. thetaitamicron''
* ''
B. vulgatus''
See also
* ''
CrAssphage CrAss-like phage are a bacteriophage (virus that infects bacteria) family that was discovered in 2014 by cross assembling reads in human fecal metagenomes. In silico comparative genomics and taxonomic analysis have found that crAss-like phages repre ...
''
* ''
Cytophaga''
* ''
Flavobacterium''
References
External links
Bacteroides infections in E Medicine
{{Taxonbar, from=Q19972191
Bacterial diseases
Bacterial vaginosis
Bacteroidia
Gram-negative bacteria
Gut flora bacteria
Medically important anaerobes
Sexually transmitted diseases and infections
Bacteria described in 1978