What does this bacterium look like?
This bacterium is a small rod of approximately 1 to 4 micrometers long. That is small when you know that 1,000 micrometers fit into one millimeter. The name of this genus honors Matthew D. Collins, an English microbiologist who has conducted a great deal of useful research into the classification of bacteria.
What does science already know about this bacterium?
Collinsella does not tolerate oxygen well and is therefore difficult to grow in the lab. We do know that there are several species, such as Collinsella aerofaciens, Collinsella intestinalis and Collinsella tanakaei. Each species has its own unique name with a special meaning! The name of the first species refers to its ability to produce gas. Collinsella intestinalis refers to the location where this bacterium occurs, namely the intestines. Collinsella tanakaei honors Ryuichiro Tanaka, a Japanese microbiologist who has made a significant contribution to knowledge about gut bacteria and probiotics.
We also know that the Collinsella genome varies from about 1.8 to 2.8 million base pairs with approximately 2,000 genes. This means that this bacterium can produce as many as 2,000 different substances.
What is this bacterium doing in my gut?
Collinsella is an important inhabitant of your gut and has unique properties. On the one hand, this bacterium loves food residues that you cannot digest yourself, such as fiber from fruit and vegetables. When Collinsella gets to work, it converts these complex carbohydrates into useful substances, such as short-chain fatty acids.
An example of a short-chain fatty acid that Collinsella can produce is acetate. Certain gut bacteria can in turn use this and convert it further into butyrate or butyric acid. Think of Faecalibacterium, for example. In this way, gut bacteria work together in a network and help each other. Butyrate can then serve as an energy source for your intestinal cells, contributing to a stronger intestinal wall (or intestinal lining). This makes it more difficult for harmful substances to leak through the intestinal wall.
On the other hand, we already know that Collinsella plays a role in fat processing. When you consume fatty foods, fats end up in your intestines. As a result, your liver starts working to produce bile acids. These bile acids end up in your intestines and serve to digest fats. Collinsella, in turn, can influence bile acids in your intestines. This bacterium can therefore help determine the extent to which fats from food are absorbed and processed. When Collinsella becomes very active, researchers sometimes see higher fat and cholesterol levels in the blood. But there is no need to panic! Everything depends on the context and circumstances. Normally, your diet does not consist exclusively of fats, but also provides fiber, proteins, etc. for the gut bacteria. Moreover, Collinsella is not present in your gut on its own, and the various gut bacteria keep each other in balance by working together harmoniously.
Does this bacterium occur elsewhere?
Although Collinsella feels most at home in the intestines of humans and animals, researchers have also found this bacterium in other places. This is the case, for example, with Collinsella vaginalis. Yes, you guessed it. 😉 This species was originally isolated from a vaginal sample in 2016. Its exact role in the vagina remains a mystery, but it is certainly worth further research.