''Ruminococcus'' is a genus of bacteria in the class Clostridia. They are anaerobic, Gram-positive gut microbes. One or more species in this genus are found in significant numbers in the human

gut microbiota Gut microbiota, gut microbiome, or gut flora, are the microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses that live in the digestive tracts of animals. The gastrointestinal metagenome is the aggregate of all the genomes of the gut m ...

. The type species is ''R. flavefaciens''. As usual, bacteria taxonomy is in flux, with Clostridia being

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

, and some erroneous members of ''Ruminococcus'' being reassigned to a new genus '' Blautia'' on the basis of

16S rRNA 16S rRNA may refer to: * 16S ribosomal RNA 16 S ribosomal RNA (or 16 S rRNA) is the RNA component of the 30S subunit of a prokaryotic ribosome ( SSU rRNA). It binds to the Shine-Dalgarno sequence and provides most of the SSU structure. The g ...

gene sequences. One of the most highly cited papers involving the genus ''Ruminococcus'' is a paper describing

interspecies hydrogen transfer Interspecies hydrogen transfer (IHT) is a form of interspecies electron transfer. It is a syntrophic process by which H2 is transferred from one organism to another, particularly in the rumen and other anaerobic environments. IHT was discovered be ...

between ''Ruminococcus albus'' and '' Wolinella succinogenes''. In 1972, ''Ruminococcus bromii'' was reportedly found in the human gut, which was the first of several species discovered. They may play a role in plant cell wall breakdown in the colon. One study found that ''R. albus'', ''R. callidus'', and ''R. bromii'' are less abundant in people with

inflammatory bowel disease Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammation, inflammatory conditions of the colon (anatomy), colon and small intestine, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis being the principal types. Crohn's disease affects the small intestine a ...

. ''Ruminococcus'' are also less abundant in patients with Parkinson's disease. ''R. gnavus'' is associated with

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distension ...

Species

* ''

Ruminococcus albus ''Ruminococcus'' is a genus of bacteria in the class Clostridia. They are anaerobic, Gram-positive gut microbes. One or more species in this genus are found in significant numbers in the human gut microbiota. The type species is ''R. flavefacien ...

'' * ''

Ruminococcus bromii ''Ruminococcus'' is a genus of bacteria in the class Clostridia. They are anaerobic, Gram-positive gut microbes. One or more species in this genus are found in significant numbers in the human gut microbiota. The type species is ''R. flavefacien ...

'' * ''

Ruminococcus callidus ''Ruminococcus'' is a genus of bacteria in the class Clostridia. They are anaerobic, Gram-positive gut microbes. One or more species in this genus are found in significant numbers in the human gut microbiota. The type species is ''R. flavefacien ...

'' * ''

Ruminococcus flavefaciens ''Ruminococcus'' is a genus of bacteria in the class Clostridia. They are anaerobic, Gram-positive gut microbes. One or more species in this genus are found in significant numbers in the human gut microbiota. The type species is ''R. flavefacien ...

'' Species belonging to the Lachnospiraceae family and therefore in need of reclassification: * ''

Ruminococcus gauvreauii ''Ruminococcus'' is a genus of bacteria in the class Clostridia. They are anaerobic, Gram-positive gut microbes. One or more species in this genus are found in significant numbers in the human gut microbiota. The type species is ''R. flavefacien ...

'' * '' Ruminococcus gnavus'' * ''

Ruminococcus lactaris ''Ruminococcus'' is a genus of bacteria in the class Clostridia. They are anaerobic, Gram-positive gut microbes. One or more species in this genus are found in significant numbers in the human gut microbiota. The type species is ''R. flavefacien ...

'' * ''

Ruminococcus obeum ''Blautia obeum'' is a species of anaerobic, gram-positive bacteria found in the gut. It has been shown that ''B. obeum'' along with other relevant taxa play an important role both in the recovery process from ''Vibrio cholerae'' infection an ...

'' * '' Ruminococcus torques''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q288892 Eubacteriales Gut flora bacteria