Faecalibacterium prausnitzii

**Semantic type:** Bacterium

**Definition:** A species of anaerobic, Gram positive, cocci shaped bacteria assigned to the phylum Firmicutes. This species is nonmotile, non-spore forming, indole negative, utilizes acetate, hydrolyzes esculin, ferments fructose, starch, and inulin, but not arabinose, melibiose, raffinose, rhamnose, ribose or xylose, does not produce hydrogen or reduce nitrate, but does produce copious amounts of butyrate. F. prausnitzii is a major commensal microbe in the human digestive tract and may be useful as a probiotic in individuals with Crohn's disease, but can become pathogenic in other regions.

**Synonyms:** - FAECALIBACTERIUM PRAUSNITZII - Fusobacterium prausnitzii - Fusobacterium prausnitzii