Alistipes is a Gram-negative genus of rod-shaped anaerobic bacteria in the phylum Bacteroidota. When members of this genus colonize the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract, they provide protective effects against colitis (intestinal inflammation), and cirrhosis (liver fibrosis). However, this genus can also cause dysbiosis by contributing to anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, and hypertension. Showcasing priority effects in microbiome assembly, when infant GI tracts have bacteria of the species Staphylococcus but not the species Faecalibacterium, Alistipes species become less capable of colonization. Alistipes, typically benign in the gut, can sometimes trigger infections like intra-abdominal abscesses and bloodstream infections, emphasizing the fine line between symbiosis and disease. This underscores the significance of comprehending their impact on human health within microbial ecosystems.
Etymology Alistipes is derived from the Neo-Latin noun alistipes, meaning "the other stick", which is further derived from the Latin adjective alius (other) and noun stipes (log/post).
Species This genus has eleven validly published species, as per the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP): Alistipes communis Sakamoto et al. 2020 Alistipes dispar Sakamoto et al. 2020 Alistipes finegoldii Rautio et al. 2003 Alistipes hominis Liu et al. 2022 Alistipes ihumii Pfleiderer et al. 2017 Alistipes indistinctus Nagai et al. 2010 Alistipes inops Shkoporov et al. 2015 Alistipes onderdonkii Song et al. 2006 Alistipes putredinis (Weinberg et al. 1937) Rautio et al. 2003 Alistipes shahii Song et al. 2006 Alistipes timonensis Lagier et al. 2014
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