{{Short description|Classification of living organisms based on its gut microbiome}} An '''enterotype''' is a classification of living organisms based on the bacteriological composition of their gut microbiota. The discovery of three human enterotypes was announced in the April 2011 issue of ''Nature'' by Peer Bork and his associates.<ref name = "NYT">{{cite news|last=Zimmer|first=Carl|title=Bacteria Divide People Into 3 Types, Scientists Say|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/science/21gut.html |accessdate=21 April 2011 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=20 April 2011 |quote=a group of scientists now report just three distinct ecosystems in the guts of people they have studied.}}</ref> They found that enterotypes are not dictated by age, gender, body weight, or national divisions.<ref name=Nature>{{cite journal |vauthors=Arumugam M, Raes J |title=Enterotypes of the human gut microbiome |quote=Our knowledge of species and functional composition of the human gut microbiome is rapidly increasing, but it is still based on very few cohorts and little is known about variation across the world. By combining 22 newly sequenced faecal metagenomes of individuals from four countries with previously published data sets, here we identify three robust clusters (referred to as enterotypes hereafter) that are not nation or continent specific. |journal=Nature |date=April 2011 |volume=473 |issue=7346 |pages=174–80 |pmid=21508958 |doi=10.1038/nature09944 |pmc=3728647|bibcode=2011Natur.473..174. |display-authors=etal}}</ref> There are indications that long-term diet influences enterotype.<ref name="Wu et al">{{cite journal |vauthors=Wu GD, Chen J, Hoffmann C, Bittinger K, Chen YY |year=2011 |title=Linking Long-Term Dietary Patterns with Gut Microbial Enterotypes |journal=Science |volume=334 |issue=6052 |pages=105–108 |doi=10.1126/science.1208344 |pmid=21885731 |pmc=3368382|bibcode=2011Sci...334..105W |display-authors=etal}}</ref> Type 1 is characterized by high levels of ''Bacteroides'', type 2 has few ''Bacteroides'' but ''Prevotella'' are common, and type 3 has high levels of ''Ruminococcus''.<ref name = "NYT" /><ref name="Wired">{{cite news|last=Keim|first=Brandon|title=Gut-Bacteria Mapping Finds Three Global Varieties |url=https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/04/gut-bacteria-types/ |accessdate=21 April 2011 |newspaper=Wired Magazine|date=20 April 2011}}</ref><ref name="NewScientist">{{cite news |last=Coghlan |first=Andy |title=Each human has one of only three gut ecosystems |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20401-each-human-has-one-of-only-three-gut-ecosystems.html |accessdate=21 April 2011 |newspaper=New Scientist |date=20 April 2011}}</ref>
The value of classifying by enterotype has been challenged.<ref name="2014cellhostandmicrobentero">{{cite journal|last1=Knights|first1=Dan|last2=Ward|first2=Tonya|last3=McKinlay|first3=Christopher|last4=Miller|first4=Hannah|last5=Gonzalez|first5=Antonio|last6=McDonald|first6=Daniel|last7=Knight|first7=Rob|title=Rethinking "Enterotypes"|journal=Cell Host & Microbe|date=8 October 2014|volume=16|issue=4|pages=433–437|doi=10.1016/j.chom.2014.09.013|pmid=25299329|pmc=5558460}}</ref><ref name="2016microbiomejournalentero">{{cite journal|last1=Gorvitovskaia|first1=Anastassia|last2=Holmes|first2=Susan P.|last3=Huse|first3=Susan M.|title=Interpreting Prevotella and Bacteroides as biomarkers of diet and lifestyle|journal=Microbiome |date=12 April 2016|volume=15|issue=4|pages=15|doi=10.1186/s40168-016-0160-7|pmid=27068581|pmc=4828855 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
In a study of gut bacteria of children in Burkina Faso (in Africa), ''Prevotella'' made up 53% of the gut bacteria, but were absent in age-matched European children.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1073/pnas.1005963107|title=Impact of diet in shaping gut microbiota revealed by a comparative study in children from Europe and rural Africa|year=2010|last1=De Filippo|first1=C.|last2=Cavalieri|first2=D.|last3=Di Paola|first3=M.|last4=Ramazzotti|first4=M.|last5=Poullet|first5=J. B.|last6=Massart|first6=S.|last7=Collini|first7=S.|last8=Pieraccini|first8=G.|last9=Lionetti|first9=P.|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=107|issue=33|pages=14691–6|pmid=20679230|pmc=2930426|bibcode=2010PNAS..10714691D|doi-access=free}}</ref>
Studies also indicate that long-term diet is strongly associated with the gut microbiome composition—those who eat plenty of protein and animal fats typical of Western diet have predominantly ''Bacteroides'' bacteria, while for those who consume more carbohydrates, especially fibre, the ''Prevotella'' species dominate.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Wu GD, Chen J, Hoffmann C, Bittinger K, Chen YY, Keilbaugh SA, Bewtra M, Knights D, Walters WA, Knight R, Sinha R, Gilroy E, Gupta K, Baldassano R, Nessel L, Li H, Bushman FD, Lewis JD |title= Linking long-term dietary patterns with gut microbial enterotypes |journal=Science |volume=334 |issue=6052 |pages= 105–8 |date=October 7, 2011 |pmc=3368382 |pmid=21885731 |doi= 10.1126/science.1208344 |bibcode= 2011Sci...334..105W }}</ref>
Chimpanzees have enterotypes that are compositionally analogous to those found in humans. Using longitudinal samples, researchers found that the enterotype of individual chimpanzees varied over time.<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=Nature Communications |date=November 13, 2012 |author1=Andrew H. Moeller |author2=Patrick H. Degnan |author3=Anne E. Pusey |author4=Michael L. Wilson |author5=Beatrice H. Hahn |author6=Howard Ochman |title=Chimpanzees and humans harbour compositionally similar gut enterotypes |volume=3 |doi=10.1038/ncomms2159 |issue=1179|pages=1179 |pmid=23149725 |pmc=3520023|bibcode=2012NatCo...3.1179M }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
Category:Bacteriology Category:Gut flora
{{Microbiology-stub}}