''Akkermansia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

in the phylum

Verrucomicrobiota Verrucomicrobiota is a phylum of Gram-negative bacteria that contains only a few described species. The species identified have been isolated from fresh water, marine and soil environments and human faeces. A number of as-yet uncultivated speci ...

(

Bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometr ...

). The genus was first proposed by Derrien '' et al.'' (2004), with the type species ''

Akkermansia muciniphila ''Akkermansia muciniphila'' is a human intestinal symbiont, isolated from human feces. It is a mucin-degrading bacterium belonging to the genus, ''Akkermansia'', discovered in 2004 by Muriel Derrien and Willem de Vos at Wageningen University of ...

'' (gen. nov., sp. nov).

Etymology

The name ''Akkermansia'' derives from:

New Latin New Latin (also called Neo-Latin or Modern Latin) is the revival of Literary Latin used in original, scholarly, and scientific works since about 1500. Modern scholarly and technical nomenclature, such as in zoological and botanical taxonomy ...

feminine gender In linguistics, grammatical gender system is a specific form of noun class system, where nouns are assigned with gender categories that are often not related to their real-world qualities. In languages with grammatical gender, most or all nouns ...

noun ''Akkermansia'', named after Anton Dirk Louis Akkermans (28 October 1940 – 21 August 2006), a Dutch microbiologist recognized for his contribution to

microbial ecology Microbial ecology (or environmental microbiology) is the ecology of microorganisms: their relationship with one another and with their environment. It concerns the three major domains of life—Eukaryota, Archaea, and Bacteria—as well as viru ...

. Until 2016 the genus contained a single known species, namely '' A. muciniphila'' (Derrien ''et al''. 2004, (type species of the genus).;

neuter gender In linguistics, grammatical gender system is a specific form of noun class system, where nouns are assigned with gender categories that are often not related to their real-world qualities. In languages with grammatical gender, most or all nou ...

noun ''mucinum'',

mucin Mucins () are a family of high molecular weight, heavily glycosylated proteins (glycoconjugates) produced by epithelial tissues in most animals. Mucins' key characteristic is their ability to form gels; therefore they are a key component in most ...

;

adjective ''philus'' from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

adjective ''philos (φίλος)'' meaning friend, loving;

adjective ''muciniphila'', mucin-loving). However, de Vos ''et al.'' isolated a novel species in the feces of a

reticulated python The reticulated python (''Malayopython reticulatus'') is a python species native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the world's longest snake, and is among the three heaviest. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List because of its w ...

, ''

Akkermansia glycaniphila ''Akkermansia glycanphila'' is a species of intestinal mucin-degrading bacterium. It was first isolated from reticulated python ('' Malayopython reticulatus'') feces in 2016. Etymology The genus was named for Antoon DL Akkermans (1940–2006), ...

''.

Description of ''Akkermansia'' gen. nov.

''Akkermansia'' (Ak.ker.man'si.a. N.L. fem. n. ''Akkermansia'' derived from Antoon Akkermans, a Dutch microbiologist recognized for his contribution to microbial ecology). Cells are oval-shaped,
non-motile Sessility is the biological property of an organism describing its lack of a means of self-locomotion. Sessile organisms for which natural ''motility'' is absent are normally immobile. This is distinct from the botanical concept of sessility, ...
and stain
Gram-negative Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. They are characterized by their cell envelopes, which are composed of a thin peptidoglycan cell wa ...
. Strictly anaerobic organism. Chemo-organotrophic.
Mucolytic Mucoactive agents are a class of chemical agents that aid in the clearance of mucus or sputum from the upper and lower airways, including the lungs, bronchi, and trachea. Mucoactive drugs include expectorants, mucolytics, mucoregulators, and muco ...
in pure
culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
.

Phylogeny

The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the

List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) is an online database that maintains information on the nomenclature, naming and Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of prokaryotes, following the taxonomy requirements and rulings of the In ...

(LPSN) and

National Center for Biotechnology Information The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is part of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is approved and funded by the government of the United States. The ...

(NCBI)

Human metabolism

''Akkermansia muciniphila'' can reside in the human

intestinal tract The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans ...

and is currently being studied for its effects on

human metabolism Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...

. Recently performed studies in

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

s have indicated that ''Akkermansia muciniphila'' in the intestinal tract may reduce

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

, and

inflammation Inflammation (from la, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants, and is a protective response involving immune cells, blood vessels, and molec ...

. Increases in Akkermansia muciniphila have been associated with multiple sclerosis. Findings from an internationally collaborative human twin study reported in February 2016 indicate that a decrease in ''Akkermansia muciniphila'' c is associated with the increased risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity.

References

Bacteria genera Verrucomicrobiota Metabolism {{bacteria-stub

Etymology

Description of ''Akkermansia'' gen. nov.

Phylogeny

Human metabolism

See also

References