Number of species of bacteria in mammalian large intestine

Range 400-500 unitless
Organism bacteria
Reference Peekhaus N, Conway T. What's for dinner?: Entner-Doudoroff metabolism in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1998 Jul180(14):3495-502. p. 3495 right column top paragraphPubMed ID9657988
Primary Source Borrelio S P. Microbial flora of the gastro-intestinal tract. In: Hill M J, editor. Microbial metabolism in the digestive tract. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press, Inc. 1986. pp. 2–16. AND Finegold S M, Sutter V L, Mathisen G E. Normal indigenous intestinal microflora. In: Hentges D J, editor. Human intestinal microflora in health and disease. New York, N.Y: Academic Press, Inc. 1983. pp. 3–31.AND Hill M J. The normal gut bacterial flora. In: Hill M J, editor. Role of gut bacteria in human toxicology and pharmacology. London, United Kingdom: Taylor and Francis 1995. pp. 3–18.
Comments The intestinal habitat contains some 400 to 500 different bacterial species (primary sources), but relatively little is known about which substrates support their growth in the intestine, which metabolic pathways are important, and which genes are required (Sweeney et al. 1996, PMID 8751890). See BNID 102387, 105707. See Suau et al., 1999 PMID 10543789 p.4805 left column 2nd paragraph:"It has been documented (PMID 4598229) that 400 to 500 species inhabit the human intestinal tract, but this value originated from statistical analyses: only 113 species were isolated (PMID 4598229) from 20 different samples."
Entered by Uri M
ID 105655