Abstract
Bifidobacteria typically represent the most abundant bacteria of the human gut microbiota in healthy breast-fed infants. Members of the Bifidobacterium bifidum species constitute one of the dominant taxa amongst these bifidobacterial communities and have been shown to display notable physiological and genetic features encompassing adhesion to epithelia as well as metabolism of host-derived glycans. In the current review, we discuss current knowledge concerning particular biological characteristics of the B. bifidum species that support its specific adaptation to the human gut and their implications in terms of supporting host health.
Highlights
The genus Bifidobacterium belongs to the Actinobacteria phylum and this genus together with nine other genera constitute the Bifidobacteriaceae family [1]
Other taxa like Bifidobacterium breve appear to be much less widely distributed, perhaps due to adaptative behavior that is host-specific [6]. Among those bifidobacteria that are found in primates, certain bifidobacterial species are commonly identified in adults, such as B. adolescentis and B. catenulatum, while others, like B. bifidum, B. breve, and B. longum subsp. infantis, are more typically found in the fecal samples from breast-fed infants [7]
The Hierarchical clustering that was built on bifidobacterial community profiles that are present in infant stool samples highlighted the occurrence of four bifidobacterial groups, i.e., bifidotypes, characterized by specific, commonly co-occurring taxa such as B. breve, B. bifidum, B. adolescentis, or B. longum [19]
Summary
The genus Bifidobacterium belongs to the Actinobacteria phylum and this genus together with nine other genera constitute the Bifidobacteriaceae family [1]. The genus Bifidobacterium is comprised of 80 (sub)species, which are distributed across seven different ecological niches, encompassing the Gastro Intestinal Tract (GIT) of humans, non-human mammals, birds, and social insects; waste water; and the oral cavity [2,3]. These ecological origins may represent the biological niche that is common to all these habitats, which is characterized by the fact that a large number of bifidobacterial hosts are submitting their child to parental care. The different preponderance of one species over another in the adult/newborn GIT is influenced by the different composition of the intestinal microbiota in terms of complexity, which in turn is very much determined by host diet [10]
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