Bacteroidetes: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

Bacteroidetes

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	Bacteroidetes
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	Topics Bacteroidetes Topic Home The phylum Bacteroidetes is composed of three large classes of bacteriaBacteria Bacteria are a major group of living organisms.... that are widely distributed in the environment, including in soil, in sediments, sea water and in the guts of animals. By far, the BacteroidalesFacts About Bacteroidales The order Bacteroidales is composed of four families of environmental bacteria.... classClass (biology) A class is a rank in the scientific classification of animals and plants in biology.... are the most well-studied, including the genus BacteroidesBacteroides *Bacteroides* is a genus of Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria.... (an abundant organism in the fecesFeces Feces, faeces, or fces is waste product from an animal's digestive system tract expelled through the anus duri... of warm-blooded animals including humans), and Porphyromonas, a group of organisms inhabiting the human oral cavity. Members of the genus Bacteroides are opportunisticOpportunistic infection Opportunistic infections are infections caused by organisms that usually do not cause disease in a person with a healthy imm... pathogenPathogen A pathogen or infectious agent is a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host.... s. Rarely are members of the other two classes pathogenic to humans. Researcher Jeffrey Gordon and his colleagues found that obese humans and mice had intestinal flora with a lower percentage of a family of bacteria called Bacteroidetes and more FirmicutesFirmicutes The Firmicutes are a division of bacteria, most of which have Gram-positive stains.... . However, they are unsure if Bacteroidetes prevent obesityObesity Obesity is a condition in which the natural energy reserve, stored in the fatty tissue of humans and mammals, is increased t... or if these intestinal flora are merely preferentially selected by intestinal conditions in those who are not obese.