Akkermansia muciniphila is a gut bacterium that colonizes the gut mucosa, has a role in maintaining gut health and shows promise for potential therapeutic applications. The discovery of A. muciniphila as an important member of our gut microbiome, occupying an extraordinary niche in the human gut, has led to new hypotheses on gut health, beneficial microorganisms and host–microbiota interactions. This microorganism has established a unique position in human microbiome research, similar to its role in the gut ecosystem. Its unique traits in using mucin sugars and mechanisms of action that can modify host health have made A. muciniphila a subject of enormous attention from multiple research fields. A. muciniphila is becoming a model organism studied for its ability to modulate human health and gut microbiome structure, leading to commercial products, a genetic model and possible probiotic formulations. This Review provides an overview of A. muciniphila and Akkermansia genus phylogeny, ecophysiology and diversity. Furthermore, the Review discusses perspectives on ecology, strategies for harnessing beneficial effects of A. muciniphila for human mucosal metabolic and gut health, and its potential as a biomarker for diagnostics and prognostics.

Akkermansia muciniphila 是一种定植于肠道粘膜的肠道细菌，在维持肠道健康方面发挥作用，并显示出潜在的治疗应用前景。发现嗜粘蛋白不动杆菌作为我们肠道微生物组的重要成员，在人类肠道中占据着非凡的生态位，这导致了关于肠道健康、有益微生物和宿主-微生物群相互作用的新假设。这种微生物在人类微生物组研究中建立了独特的地位，类似于它在肠道生态系统中的作用。它使用粘蛋白糖的独特特性和可以改变宿主健康的作用机制使嗜粘蛋白芽孢杆菌成为多个研究领域高度关注的主题。嗜粘蛋白不动杆菌正在成为一种模式生物，因其调节人类健康和肠道微生物组结构的能力而被研究，从而产生商业产品、遗传模型和可能的益生菌配方。本综述概述了嗜粘蛋白 A. muciniphila 和 Akkermansia 属的系统发育、生态生理学和多样性。此外，该综述讨论了生态学的观点、利用嗜粘蛋白不动杆菌对人类粘膜代谢和肠道健康的有益影响的策略，以及其作为诊断和预后生物标志物的潜力。