names in breadcrumbs
The Firmicutes (Latin: firmus, strong, and cutis, skin, referring to the cell wall) are a phylum of bacteria, most of which have gram-positive cell wall structure.[3] A few, however, such as Megasphaera, Pectinatus, Selenomonas and Zymophilus, have a porous pseudo-outer membrane that causes them to stain gram-negative. Scientists once classified the Firmicutes to include all gram-positive bacteria, but have recently defined them to be of a core group of related forms called the low-G+C group, in contrast to the Actinobacteria. They have round cells, called cocci (singular coccus), or rod-like forms (bacillus).
Many Firmicutes produce endospores, which are resistant to desiccation and can survive extreme conditions. They are found in various environments, and the group includes some notable pathogens. Those in one family, the heliobacteria, produce energy through anoxygenic photosynthesis. Firmicutes play an important role in beer, wine, and cider spoilage.
The group is typically divided into the Clostridia, which are anaerobic, and the Bacilli, which are obligate or facultative aerobes.
On phylogenetic trees, the first two groups show up as paraphyletic or polyphyletic, as do their main genera, Clostridium and Bacillus.[4]
The phylogeny is based on 16S rRNA-based LTP release 132 by the All-Species Living Tree Project,[5] with the currently accepted taxonomy based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN),[6] National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI),[7] and some non-validated clade names from Genome Taxonomic Database.[8]
Firmicutes classification "Thermaerobacteria" ♥Thermaerobacter {"Thermaerobacterales" ♥: "Thermaerobacteraceae" ♥}
"Thermoanaerobacteria" ♥Caldicellulosiruptor {"Caldicellulosiruptorales" ♥: "Caldicellulosiruptoraceae" ♥}
"Thermovenabulales" ♥Dictyoglomus {Dictyoglomaceae}
Tepidanaerobacter {"Tepidanaerobacteraceae" ♥}
"Thermovenabulaceae" ♥
"Ammonificaceae" ♥ {"Ammonifexales" ♥}
Thermoanaerobacteraceae {Thermoanaerobacterales}
"Moorellaceae" ♥ {"Moorellales" ♥}
"Thermacetogeniaceae" ♥ {"Thermacetogeniales" ♥}
Carboxydothermus {"Carboxydothermales" ♥: "Carboxydothermaceae" ♥}
"Symbiobacteriia" ♥Symbiobacterium {"Symbiobacteriales" ♥: Symbiobacteriaceae}
Sulfobacillus {"Sulfobacillales" ♥: "Sulfobacillaceae" ♥}
Clostridia s.s.
Unassigned Clostridia s.s.
Notes:
♥ Clade names not lodged at National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) or listed in the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN)
The family Synergistaceae (Clostridiales Family XV Incertae Sedis) and Thermodesulfobiaceae have been removed from Firmicutes based on the fact, they do not form a monophyletic clade with it.
More than 274 genera were considered as of 2016 to be within the Firmicutes phylum, notable genera of Firmicutes include:
Bacilli, order Bacillales
Bacilli, order Lactobacillales
Firmicutes make up the largest portion of the mouse and human gut microbiome.[9] The division Firmicutes as part of the gut flora has been shown to be involved in energy resorption, and potentially related to the development of diabetes and obesity.[10][11][12][13] Within the gut of healthy human adults, the most abundant bacterium: Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (F. prausnitzii), which makes up 5% of the total gut microbiome, is a member of the Firmicutes phylum. This species is directly associated with reduced low-grade inflammation in obesity.[14] F. prausnitzii has been found in higher levels within the guts of obese children than in non-obese children.
In multiple studies a higher abundance of Firmicutes has been found in obese individuals than in lean controls. A higher level of Lactobacillus (of the Firmicutes phylum) has been found in obese patients and in one study, obese patients put on weight loss diets showed a reduced amount of Firmicutes within their guts.[15]
Diet changes in mice have also been shown to promote changes in Firmicutes abundance. A higher relative abundance of Firmicutes was seen in mice fed a western diet (high fat/high sugar) than in mice fed a standard low fat/ high polysaccharide diet. The higher amount of Firmicutes was also linked to more adiposity and body weight within mice.[16] Specifically, within obese mice, the class Mollicutes (within the Firmicutes phylum) was the most common. When the microbiota of obese mice with this higher Firmicutes abundance was transplanted into the guts of germ-free mice, the germ-free mice gained a significant amount of fat as compared to those transplanted with the microbiota of lean mice with lower Firmicutes abundance.[17]
The presence of Christensenella (Firmicutes, in class Clostridia), isolated from human faeces, has been found to correlate with lower body mass index.[18]
The presence of Firmicutes can be reliably detected with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques.[19]
The Firmicutes (Latin: firmus, strong, and cutis, skin, referring to the cell wall) are a phylum of bacteria, most of which have gram-positive cell wall structure. A few, however, such as Megasphaera, Pectinatus, Selenomonas and Zymophilus, have a porous pseudo-outer membrane that causes them to stain gram-negative. Scientists once classified the Firmicutes to include all gram-positive bacteria, but have recently defined them to be of a core group of related forms called the low-G+C group, in contrast to the Actinobacteria. They have round cells, called cocci (singular coccus), or rod-like forms (bacillus).
Many Firmicutes produce endospores, which are resistant to desiccation and can survive extreme conditions. They are found in various environments, and the group includes some notable pathogens. Those in one family, the heliobacteria, produce energy through anoxygenic photosynthesis. Firmicutes play an important role in beer, wine, and cider spoilage.
