Skip to content
Back to glossary
Microbiome

Christensenella minuta

Christensenella minuta is a strictly anaerobic gut bacterium, in the Christensenellaceae family. In the TwinsUK study, Goodrich and colleagues (2014) made a key find. It is the most heritable microbe in the human gut. That means your genes strongly influence how much of it you carry. Its abundance is inversely linked to body mass index. And in that study, transplanting a Christensenella-containing community into germ-free mice reduced their weight gain and fat. A clinical-candidate strain (C. minuta DSM 33407, formulated as the drug 'Xla1') was originally developed by YSOPIA Bioscience. (Verb Biotics acquired its strain portfolio in 2023.) It showed anti-obesity effects in obese mice. The human evidence is still limited to observational links and early trials. So it is positioned as a 'next-generation probiotic', not an established therapy.

Last reviewed:

This definition is educational and is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or treatment. Talk to a doctor about any health decisions. Read our full medical disclaimer

Sources

  1. Goodrich JK, Waters JL, Poole AC, et al.. (2014). Human genetics shape the gut microbiome. *Cell*doi:10.1016/j.cell.2014.09.053
  2. Mazier W, Le Corf K, Martinez C, et al.. (2021). A new strain of Christensenella minuta as a potential biotherapy for obesity and associated metabolic diseases. *Cells*doi:10.3390/cells10040823
  3. Pan T, Zheng S, Zheng W, et al.. (2024). Christensenella minuta, a new candidate next-generation probiotic: current evidence and future trajectories. *Frontiers in Microbiology*doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1241259