Faecalibacterium prausnitzii

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is an obligate-anaerobic Firmicute and one of the most abundant butyrate-producing bacteria in the healthy adult colon, often making up several percent of the faecal microbiota. Butyrate produced by F. prausnitzii nourishes colonocytes and supports regulatory immune signalling. The original Sokol 2008 PNAS analysis of Crohn's disease patients identified a low mucosa-associated abundance as a risk factor for postoperative recurrence, and the species or its supernatant exerted anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in colitis models. Depletion has since been replicated in inflammatory bowel disease, especially ileal Crohn's, and observed in cohorts of type 2 diabetes and depression. F. prausnitzii is treated as a next-generation probiotic candidate.