Description
Akkermansia is a genus in the phylum Verrucomicrobia; Bacteria with the type species Akkermansia muciniphila. Among the next-generation beneficial microbes that have been identified, Akkermansia muciniphila is a promising candidate. Akkermansia muciniphila is a strict anaerobe recently isolated from human faeces and uses the mucin as thesole sources of carbon and nitrogen elements. Due to this unique function and its high universality and richness in almost all life stages, Akkermansia muciniphila opened new avenues for the application in next-generation therapeutic probiotic. It is a bacterium of oval shape, non-motile and Gram-negative andforms no endospores and widely distributed in the intestines of human and animals. Akkermansia muciniphila is one of the normal gutsymbionts throughout our life. Currently, a large number of researches on Akkermansia muciniphila mainly focused on explaining its relationship with diseases. It promises to be a therapeutic target in the microbiota-related diseases, such as colitis, metabolic syndrome, immune diseases and cancer. Preliminary human datasuggest oral administration of Akkermansia muciniphila safe, butits effect needs to be further verified in more human clinical trials in the near future.