Christensenella

Christensenella is a genus of Gram-negative, nonspore-forming, anaerobic, and nonmotile bacteria from the family Christensenellaceae. The species C. minuta has been published and validated, and C. timonensis and C. massiliensis have been proposed as novel species of the genus Christensenella, all isolated from human faeces. C. minuta in the gut has been associated with reduction in body weight and adiposity of mice. In a test on 977 volunteers, humans with higher levels of Christensenella in their guts were found to be more likely to have a lower body mass index than those with low levels.