.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
Bifidobacterium saeculare
Bifidobacterium saeculare, closely related to B. gallinarum, demonstrateshealth benefits similar to other Bifidobacterium species.
These benefits include promoting gut health, enhancing immune modulation, and protecting against infections by competing with pathogens and inhibiting virus replication.
Additionally, B. saeculare may contribute to anti-cancer properties, improving metabolic health, and reducing inflammation.
While specific research on B. saeculare is limited, its classification suggests it may positively impact gut microbiota composition and immune regulation, making it a valuable agent in therapeutic interventions.
General Health Benefits of Bifidobacteria Spp.
Increasingly, the benefits of Bifidobacteria for gut and overall health are demonstrated in research. While specific strains are mentioned here, many of these benefits are widely attributed to Bifidobacteria as a genus.
These benefits include preventing diarrhea, improving lactose intolerance, and enhancing immune modulation. [26.]
They are effective in promoting colon regularity and alleviating constipation, while also preventing oral inflammations and dental caries. [6., 26.]
Bifidobacteria compete with pathogens, protecting against infections and inhibiting virus replication, such as Coxsackievirus B3 and rotavirus. [3., 6., 7., 8., 26.]
They show anticancer properties by enhancing immune response, inhibiting cancer cell growth, and altering gut conditions to prevent tumors. [6.]
Additionally, Bifidobacteria boost immune responses, increase beneficial antibodies, and promote regulatory T cells, contributing to anti-inflammatory effects and immune balance. [6., 11.]
They also act as psychobiotics, reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, and play a role in synthesizing gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is particularly beneficial for individuals with autism. [2., 6., 9., 15., 20.,28., 29., 30.]
Moreover, Bifidobacteria facilitate the absorption of vitamins and minerals, promote bone density and repair, and enhance metabolic health by reducing fat accumulation and improving glucose tolerance. [1., 4., 16., 20., 21. 23., 27.]
These findings underscore Bifidobacteria's potential as a therapeutic agent for various health conditions.
Health Benefits of Bifidobacterium saeculare
Bifidobacterium saeculare has been isolated from the feces of rabbits. [5., 31.] It seems to be very closely related to B. gallinarum. [17.]
Bifidobacterium saeculare, as a member of the Bifidobacterium genus, likely shares many of the beneficial properties attributed to other Bifidobacterium species.
These benefits generally include promoting microbial diversity, supporting intestinal health, and modulating the immune system.
While specific research on B. saecularum is limited compared to more widely studied Bifidobacterium species, its taxonomic classification suggests it may contribute to similar positive effects on gut microbiota composition, intestinal barrier function, and immune regulation.
Laboratory Testing for Bifidobacterium Levels
Test Type, Sample Collection and Preparation
Bifidobacterium levels are assessed in stool samples. Stool samples may be collected from the comfort of home.
Testing may require avoidance of certain medications and/or supplements including probiotics prior to sample collection. It is important to consult with the ordering provider for full test preparation instructions.
Interpretation of Test Results
Optimal Levels of Bifidobacterium spp.
It is important to consult with the laboratory company used for test interpretation.
B. saeculare levels are often reported as part of the total Bifidobacteria spp. present.
One lab company provides the following reference range for Bifidobacterium spp. levels: 6.7e7org/g [25.]
Clinical Implications of High Bifidobacterium spp.
High levels of Bifidobacterium in the gut microbiome are generally associated with a healthy state and favorable metabolic outcomes.
In the setting of symptoms of dysbiosis or SIBO such as gas, bloating, and/or abdominal pain, further assessment and possible treatments should be considered.
Patients in this scenario who are using probiotics should consider stopping their probiotics.
In rare clinical settings involving either the very young or the very elderly who also have impaired intestinal barriers and/or are immunocompromised, Bifidobacterium may become invasive and cause bacteremia. [10.]
Low Bifidobacterium Abundance
Generally, Bifidobacterium are considered to be beneficial. Low levels of Bifidobacterium have been associated with:
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) [12.]
- Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), including: [12.]
- Ulcerative colitis
- Crohn's disease
- Antibiotic-associated diarrhea [12.]
- Necrotizing enterocolitis in newborns [6.]
- Atopic eczema [12.]
- Certain types of infections, including H. pylori and C. dificile infections [12.]
- Conditions associated with dysbiosis (imbalance in gut microbiota) [19.]
- Obesity and metabolic disorders [6.]
- Colorectal cancer [6.]
- Allergies and asthma [12.]
- Mood disorders and depression [6.]
- Autism spectrum disorders [18.]
Therefore, maintaining a high abundance of Bifidobacterium in the gut microbiome is generally considered a favorable state, associated with better metabolic health, a lean phenotype, and a lower risk of inflammatory conditions like IBD.
Monitoring Bifidobacterium levels may have clinical significance in assessing gut health, disease risk, and potential therapeutic interventions aimed at restoring a balanced microbiome.
Natural Ways to Optimize Microbiome Health [13.]
A healthy diet and lifestyle are foundational for microbiome health.
Diet and Nutrition
- Consume Diverse Foods: increase the variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes to promote microbial diversity.
- High-Fiber Diet: focus on fiber-rich foods to support the growth of beneficial bacteria.
- Fermented Foods: include yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and other fermented foods to introduce probiotics.
- Polyphenol-Rich Foods: consume foods high in polyphenols such as berries, green tea, dark chocolate, and red wine to stimulate beneficial bacteria growth.
- Prebiotics: incorporate prebiotic-rich foods like garlic, onions, asparagus, and bananas to nourish beneficial bacteria.
Lifestyle
- Regular Exercise: engage in consistent physical activity to enhance gut microbiota diversity and composition.
- Stress Management: practice stress-reducing activities such as yoga, meditation, and mindfulness to prevent microbiota dysbiosis.
Medications and Supplements
- Probiotics: consider probiotic supplements to increase beneficial bacteria in the gut.
- Avoid Unnecessary Antibiotics: use antibiotics only when necessary to avoid disrupting the gut microbiome.
Environmental Factors
- Limit Artificial Sweeteners: avoid artificial sweeteners that can negatively affect gut microbiota.
- Healthy Sleep Patterns: maintain regular sleep patterns to support a balanced gut microbiome.
Hygiene Practices
- Avoid Over-Sanitization: limit the use of antibacterial soaps and sanitizers to maintain a healthy microbiota balance.
Order Bifidobacterium spp. Testing
Click here to compare testing options and order tests to assess Bifidobacterium spp. levels.
[1.] Al-Sheraji S. H., Ismail A., Manap M. Y., Mustafa S., Yusof R. M., Hassan F. A. (2012). Hypocholesterolaemic Effect of Yoghurt Containing Bifidobacterium Pseudocatenulatum G4 or Bifidobacterium Longum BB536. Food Chem. 135, 356–361. 10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.04.120
[2.] Allen A. P., Hutch W., Borre Y. E., Kennedy P. J., Temko A., Boylan G., et al. (2016). Bifidobacterium Longum 1714 as a Translational Psychobiotic: Modulation of Stress, Electrophysiology and Neurocognition in Healthy Volunteers. Transl Psychiatry 6, e939. 10.1038/tp.2016.191
[3.] Bae E.-A., Han M. J., Song M.-J., Kim D.-H. (2002). Purification of Rotavirus Infection-Inhibitory Protein from Bifidobacterium Breve K-110. Seoul: COREE, REPUBLIQUE DE, Korean Society for Applied Microbiology.
[4.] Ballini A, Gnoni A, De Vito D, et al. Effect of probiotics on the occurrence of nutrition absorption capacities in healthy children: a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled pilot study. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. 2019;23(19):8645-8657. doi:https://doi.org/10.26355/eurrev_201910_19182
[5.] Biavati B, Mattarelli P, Crociani F. Bifidobacterium saeculare: a New Species Isolated from Feces of Rabbit. Systematic and Applied Microbiology. 1991;14(4):389-392. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/s0723-2020(11)80315-2
[6.] Chen J, Chen X, Ho CL. Recent Development of Probiotic Bifidobacterium for Treating Human Diseases. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2021 Dec 22;9:770248. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.770248. PMID: 35004640; PMCID: PMC8727868.
[7.] Chenoll E, Rivero M, Codoñer FM, Martinez-Blanch JF, Ramón D, Genovés S, Moreno Muñoz JA. Complete Genome Sequence of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis Strain CECT 7210, a Probiotic Strain Active against Rotavirus Infections. Genome Announc. 2015 Apr 2;3(2):e00105-15. doi: 10.1128/genomeA.00105-15. PMID: 25838473; PMCID: PMC4384477.
[8.] Corrêa NB, Péret Filho LA, Penna FJ, Lima FM, Nicoli JR. A randomized formula controlled trial of Bifidobacterium lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus for prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in infants. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2005 May-Jun;39(5):385-9. doi: 10.1097/01.mcg.0000159217.47419.5b. PMID: 15815206.
[9.] Dinan TG, Stanton C, Cryan JF. Psychobiotics: a novel class of psychotropic. Biol Psychiatry. 2013 Nov 15;74(10):720-6. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.05.001. Epub 2013 Jun 10. PMID: 23759244.
[10.] Esaiassen E, Hjerde E, Cavanagh JP, Simonsen GS, Klingenberg C; Norwegian Study Group on Invasive Bifidobacteriuml Infections. Bifidobacterium Bacteremia: Clinical Characteristics and a Genomic Approach To Assess Pathogenicity. J Clin Microbiol. 2017 Jul;55(7):2234-2248. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00150-17. Epub 2017 May 10. PMID: 28490487; PMCID: PMC5483926.
[11.] Fukushima Y, Kawata Y, Mizumachi K, Kurisaki J, Mitsuoka T. Effect of bifidobacteria feeding on fecal flora and production of immunoglobulins in lactating mouse. Int J Food Microbiol. 1999 Feb 18;46(3):193-7. doi: 10.1016/s0168-1605(98)00183-4. PMID: 10100899.
[12.] Hidalgo-Cantabrana C, et al. Bifidobacterium and Their Health-Promoting Effects. Bugs as Drugs. Published online February 1, 2018:73-98. doi:https://doi.org/10.1128/microbiolspec.bad-0010-2016
[13.] Hou, K., Wu, ZX., Chen, XY. et al. Microbiota in health and diseases. Sig Transduct Target Ther 7, 135 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-022-00974-4
[14.] Jang H. M., Jang S.-E., Han M. J., Kim D.-H. (2018). Anxiolytic-like Effect of Bifidobacterium Adolescentis IM38 in Mice with or without Immobilisation Stress. Beneficial microbes 9, 123–132. 10.3920/bm2016.0226
[15.] Jang H.-M., Lee K.-E., Kim D.-H. (2019). The Preventive and Curative Effects of Lactobacillus Reuteri NK33 and Bifidobacterium Adolescentis NK98 on Immobilization Stress-Induced Anxiety/depression and Colitis in Mice. Nutrients 11, 819. 10.3390/nu11040819
[16.] Leahy SC, Higgins DG, Fitzgerald GF, van Sinderen D. Getting better with bifidobacteria. J Appl Microbiol. 2005;98(6):1303-15. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2005.02600.x. PMID: 15916644.
[17.] Liu DD, Wang H, Gu CT. Proposal of Bifidobacterium saeculare Biavati et al. 1992 as a later heterotypic synonym of Bifidobacterium gallinarum Watabe et al. 1983 and Bifidobacterium gallinarum subsp. saeculare subsp. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2020 Nov;70(11):5964-5968. doi: 10.1099/ijsem.0.004474. PMID: 32960752.
[18.] Mehra A, Arora G, Sahni G, et al. Gut microbiota and Autism Spectrum Disorder: From pathogenesis to potential therapeutic perspectives. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. 2022;13(2). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcme.2022.03.001
[19.] Milani C, Turroni F, Duranti S, Lugli GA, Mancabelli L, Ferrario C, van Sinderen D, Ventura M. Genomics of the Genus Bifidobacterium Reveals Species-Specific Adaptation to the Glycan-Rich Gut Environment. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2015 Nov 20;82(4):980-991. doi: 10.1128/AEM.03500-15. PMID: 26590291; PMCID: PMC4751850.
[20.] O'Callaghan A, van Sinderen D. Bifidobacterium and Their Role as Members of the Human Gut Microbiota. Front Microbiol. 2016 Jun 15;7:925. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00925. PMID: 27379055; PMCID: PMC4908950.
[21.] Parvaneh K, Ebrahimi M, Sabran MR, Karimi G, Hwei AN, Abdul-Majeed S, Ahmad Z, Ibrahim Z, Jamaluddin R. Probiotics (Bifidobacterium longum) Increase Bone Mass Density and Upregulate Sparc and Bmp-2 Genes in Rats with Bone Loss Resulting from Ovariectomy. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:897639. doi: 10.1155/2015/897639. Epub 2015 Aug 20. PMID: 26366421; PMCID: PMC4558422.
[22.] Patole SK, Rao SC, Keil AD, Nathan EA, Doherty DA, Simmer KN. Benefits of Bifidobacterium breve M-16V Supplementation in Preterm Neonates - A Retrospective Cohort Study. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 8;11(3):e0150775. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150775. PMID: 26953798; PMCID: PMC4783036.
[23.] Pedret A, Valls RM, Calderón-Pérez L, Llauradó E, Companys J, Pla-Pagà L, Moragas A, Martín-Luján F, Ortega Y, Giralt M, Caimari A, Chenoll E, Genovés S, Martorell P, Codoñer FM, Ramón D, Arola L, Solà R. Effects of daily consumption of the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CECT 8145 on anthropometric adiposity biomarkers in abdominally obese subjects: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Obes (Lond). 2019 Sep;43(9):1863-1868. doi: 10.1038/s41366-018-0220-0. Epub 2018 Sep 27. PMID: 30262813; PMCID: PMC6760601.
[24.] Pinto-Sanchez M. I., Hall G. B., Ghajar K., Nardelli A., Bolino C., Lau J. T., et al. (2017). Probiotic Bifidobacterium Longum NCC3001 Reduces Depression Scores and Alters Brain Activity: A Pilot Study in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Gastroenterology 153, 448–459. e8. 10.1053/j.gastro.2017.05.003
[25.] Rupa Health. GI-MAP + Zonulin Sample Report.pdf. Google Docs. https://drive.google.com/file/d/13LXmPBhXV2Y9paOeE5id2OM2X0V5gJ56/view
[26.] Schell MA, Karmirantzou M, Snel B, Vilanova D, Berger B, Pessi G, Zwahlen MC, Desiere F, Bork P, Delley M, Pridmore RD, Arigoni F. The genome sequence of Bifidobacterium longum reflects its adaptation to the human gastrointestinal tract. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Oct 29;99(22):14422-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.212527599. Epub 2002 Oct 15. Erratum in: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Jun 28;102(26):9430. PMID: 12381787; PMCID: PMC137899.
[27.] Stenman LK, Waget A, Garret C, Klopp P, Burcelin R, Lahtinen S. Potential probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis 420 prevents weight gain and glucose intolerance in diet-induced obese mice. Benef Microbes. 2014 Dec;5(4):437-45. doi: 10.3920/BM2014.0014. PMID: 25062610.
[28.] Tian P., Bastiaanssen T. F. S., Song L., Jiang B., Zhang X., Zhao J., et al. (2021). Unraveling the Microbial Mechanisms Underlying the Psychobiotic Potential of a Bifidobacterium Breve Strain. Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 65, 2000704. 10.1002/mnfr.202000704
[29.] Tian P., O'Riordan K. J., Lee Y.-K., Wang G., Zhao J., Zhang H., et al. (2020). Towards a Psychobiotic Therapy for Depression: Bifidobacterium Breve CCFM1025 Reverses Chronic Stress-Induced Depressive Symptoms and Gut Microbial Abnormalities in Mice. Neurobiol. Stress 12, 100216. 10.1016/j.ynstr.2020.100216
[30.] Wang H., Braun C., Murphy E. F., Enck P. (2019). Bifidobacterium Longum 1714 Strain Modulates Brain Activity of Healthy Volunteers during Social Stress. Am. J. Gastroenterol. 114, 1152–1162. 10.14309/ajg.0000000000000203
[31.] Duranti S, Longhi G, Ventura M, van Sinderen D, Turroni F. Exploring the Ecology of Bifidobacteria and Their Genetic Adaptation to the Mammalian Gut. Microorganisms. 2020 Dec 22;9(1):8. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9010008. PMID: 33375064; PMCID: PMC7822027.
Test for
Bifidobacterium saeculare
