Akkermansia muciniphila
A name that says it all
Akkermansia muciniphila is a bacterium with health benefits. Its name comes from a microbiologist Antoon Akkermans and its species name muciniphila means that this bacterium “prefers mucin1“.
Akkermansia is thought to play a role in the secretion of intestinal mucus2, increasing the thickness of the intestinal barrier, which prevents invasion by pathogenic3 microbes. Akkermansia is associated with a reduced risk of inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract and with a lower weight gain.
A beneficial bacterium
This bacterium represents about 2 to 3% of the bacteria in the intestine. Studies analyzing the intestinal microbiota have shown that this bacterium was reduced in number in patients who were overweight and/or had higher cholesterol levels. A link with sugar levels has also been identified. Thus, this bacterium could improve the metabolism4 of sugars and lipids. In addition, this health-promoting bacterium could increase immune defenses and reduce inflammation. These different favorable effects of Akkermansia led some people to propose this bacterium as a probiotic5 medication.
- Black cards
- Akkermancia muciniphila
- Aspergillus fumigatus
- Bifidobacterium
- Candida albicans
- Chlamydia trachomatis
- Clostrioides difficile
- HBV
- HPV
- Human immunodeficiency virus
- Klebsiella pneumoniae
- Lactobacille
- Leishmania
- Leptospira interrogans
- Neisseria meningitidis
- Mumps virus
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Rickettsia prowazekii
- Measles virus
- Rubella
- Toxoplasma gondii
- Treponema palidum
- Chickenpox virus
- Vibrio cholera
- Zikavirus