Rethinking “Enterotypes”
Open accessAbstract
Classification of the human gut microbiome into distinct types, or "enterotypes," provides an attractive framework for understanding microbial variation in health and disease. However, as discussed here, several different methods of collapsing enterotype variation into a few discrete clusters suggest that enterotype distribution is continuous and can vary widely within an individual.
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As with known enterotypes, defining taxa included Prevotella, Akkermansia, and Bifidobacterium.
“Concordant with reported enterotypes in the human microbiome47,51,55, we identified microbiotype-defining taxa including Prevotella spp., Akkermansia spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. (Extended Data Fig. 9).”
From Intestinal microbiota signatures of clinical response and immune-related adverse events in melanoma patients treated with anti-PD-1 (2022) · cites this paper as [51]
The human gut contains several discrete, ecologically balanced communities (microbiotypes) that are resilient but can be changed by diet, drugs, and lifestyle.
“The human gut microbiome includes multiple discrete ecologically balanced communities—hereafter referred to as ‘enteric microbiotypes’—that are resilient although still modifiable by diet, drugs and lifestyle47–52.”
From Intestinal microbiota signatures of clinical response and immune-related adverse events in melanoma patients treated with anti-PD-1 (2022) · cites this paper as [51]
Human gut microbiota variation includes discrete clusters or enterotypes, though their distribution may be continuous and composition can vary within an individual.
“Human intestinal microbiota variation encompasses discrete microbial clusters or enterotypes, although their distribution may be continuous and their composition can be variable within the same individual47,50,51.”
From Intestinal microbiota signatures of clinical response and immune-related adverse events in melanoma patients treated with anti-PD-1 (2022) · cites this paper as [51]
The enterotype categorization has been criticized as an oversimplification that obscures potentially important microbial variation and may not be appropriate for the athletic population.
“This categorization has been criticized as an oversimplification, obscuring potentially important microbial variation, and may not be appropriate for the athletic population [180, 181].”
From The athletic gut microbiota (2020) · cites this paper as [181]
CntA/B and yeaW/X contribute to TMA generation by converting carnitine into TMA.
“Additional microbial enzyme systems that contribute to TMA generation are now known to include CntA/B and yeaW/X for conversion of carnitine into TMA226–230.”
From Dietary metabolism, the gut microbiome, and heart failure (2019) · cites this paper as [230]
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- Authors
- Knights, D., Ward, T. L., McKinlay, C. E., Miller, H., Gonzalez, A., McDonald, D., & Knight, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Minnesota (US)
- University of Colorado Boulder (US)
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Knight, Rob
- Venue
- Cell Host & Microbe
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-10
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 433-437
- ISSN
- 1931-3128 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5558460
- OpenAlex
- W4230931443
- Cited by
- 396
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 39 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 55 · 2018: 48 · 2017: 37 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 12.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Cell Host & Microbe (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (UL1TR000114)
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
- Keywords
- enterotypes, human gut microbiome, microbial community classification, microbial diversity
- MeSH terms
- Bacteria, Genotype, Humans, Genetic Variation, Cluster Analysis, Gastrointestinal Tract, Metagenome, Biota
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