Can Akkermansia help with weight and inflammation problems?

a microbiology newsletter - may, 2022

Can this bacterium prevent weight gain and lower inflammation?

Akkermansia

Miracle in the Mucin...

Discovered in 2004, Akkermansia muciniphila is a relative newcomer to microbiology. Akkermansia was named for the microbial ecologist Antoon Akkermans, and muciniphila meaning preferring mucin. This organism in the phylum Verrucomicrobia was the result of a study that used purified mucin as a growth medium, looking for organisms that could use this as their food source. A. muciniphila was the result, a Gram-negative bacterium that uses mucin as its sole carbon and nitrogen source. A photo of normal healthy gut tissue with mucin producing goblet cells is shown above. Since its discovery, the behavior of this organism in vivo has been studied extensively in both mouse models and human subjects, and a correlation between the presence of A. muciniphila and overall health is becoming increasingly clear.

Because chronic diseases like obesity and type II diabetes are linked with a low abundance of A. muciniphila, its role in gut barrier could be important. For example, increased gut permeability is a characteristic of obesity, and this increase is associated with a reduced mucus thickness. However, A. muciniphila can restore the mucus layer and improve gut barrier function. It has been found that people that are lean with normal glucose tolerance have higher levels of Akkermansia than diabetics and obese individuals. (7)

A. muciniphila is integrally linked with the intestinal mucus layer, which serves as both its primary food source and habitat. This layer varies in thickness amongst subjects, but is continually replenished by goblet cells in the epithelia of the intestine. Commensal microorganisms make their home in the outer, less-dense periphery of this layer (3). Studies in Apolipoprotein E knockout mice, a model used to study cardiovascular disease and fat metabolism, show that A. muciniphila supplementation led to overall increases in the mucin layer. This thickening prevents "leaky gut" and reduces overall inflammation.(2) Additional studies also show reduced levels of Akkermansia in Alzheimer, cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis patients.(8)

For diabetic patients, the role of the gut microbiome is increasingly of interest. Recent studies have shown that treatment with the common diabetic drug, metformin, led to an increase in mucin-producing goblet cells in the intestinal epithelia, which also led to an increased population of A. muciniphila in mice undergoing treatment (5). This is a tantalizing hint that the moderating effects of A. muciniphila may have an impact on diabetic patients, and more study is warranted to further examine the connection between diabetes treatment and the bacterium. In addition, It has also been found that those suffering from irritable bowel disease have lower levels of gut Akkermansia (8).

A. muciniphila has been featured in multiple supplementation strategies designed to increase the overall abundance of the organism, and evaluate whether supplementation regimens can produce positive outcomes for overall health. Early studies established that regular dosing regimens of up to 10¹⁰ bacteria per day were safe and well-tolerated. As part of the normal adult gut microbiota, A. muciniphila makes up around 1 to 3% of all microorganisms. Supplementation regimens have established that a dearth of population can be restored to this level, but that concentrations higher than this aren’t achieved. This may indicate that A. muciniphila reaches its carrying capacity in healthy adults, and that supplementation can’t bring additional benefit. (1, 4)

So how do we encourage the growth of this important bacterium? One of the best ways to increase your levels naturally is by eating plenty of high fiber plant foods that contain prebiotics and polyphenols to feed and grow those good bugs. (8)

As the understanding of the complexity of the human gut microbiota increases, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the balance of this ecosystem has diverse health ramifications. The evidence from the mouse and limited human studies confirm that Akkermansia muciniphila is linked to dramatic impacts in health and physiology. This fascinating microorganism deserves further study to fully understand its place as part of a healthy microbiome.

By Weston Mangin

Senior R&D Engineer

References: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Antibiotic Stewardship

Watch a very funny and entertaining video on Antibiotic Stewardship.

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By Dr. Glaucomflecken

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Did you know that Hardy Diagnostics was the first to introduce Chromogenic Media to America in 1996?

Chromogenic media allows the microbiologist to make identifications based on colony color. The principle involves a carbohydrate molecule in the media that is bound to a colorless chromogen. When a specific bacterial enzyme cleaves the bond, the chromogen turns color, thus creating color throughout the bacterial colony.

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Ever been confused as to how much to tip?

Here is a good guide to help you out.

Phraseology

"TIP"

Many believe that the word TIP is an acronym for "To Insure Promptness," or "To Insure Prompt Service." However, those that study word origins disagree and deem this an urban myth, since the use of acronyms was rare previous to the 1900s.

The first documented usage of “tip” in this way dates back to the early 1700s, in which "tip" was used to to mean "to give or to share" and was not an acronym. It literally meant tipping coins into someone's hand.

At some point within the next century, this sense of the word spread to being used by many as referring to money given as a bonus for service rendered, with the first documented instance of this definition popping up in 1706 in the George Farquhar play, The Beaux Stratagem, “Then I, Sir, tips me the Verger with half a Crown…”

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A global threat to our food supply and public health

Is Bird Flu Only

For The Birds?

In December 2021, Canada reported the first case of the 2021-2022 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in North America. Subsequently, HPAI H5N1 viruses have been confirmed in wild birds, backyard flocks, and commercial poultry facilities in both Canada and the United States. (1) According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as of April 26, 2022, there have been almost 37 million chickens and turkeys killed by this disease from 239 flocks in 29 states across the United States. (2) Additionally, the CDC announced, there have been 899 wild birds detected with the bird flu in 34 states, including cases of bald eagles being affected. (3) These statistics continue to rise daily.

Avian influenza virus (AIV), also known as bird flu, refers to the disease caused by infection with avian influenza Type A viruses. Wild aquatic birds are considered reservoirs, or natural hosts, for AIV. (4) These viruses have been found in more than 100 different species of wild birds globally and most infected wild birds are asymptomatic. (4) Unfortunately, AIV can infect the respiratory and digestive tracts of domestic poultry and other domestic birds. Due to this, outbreaks of AVI in domestic poultry can occur worldwide. (5)

The disease is spread through saliva, nasal secretions, and feces of infected animals, which other animals or humans then come into contact with. (5) Infected birds can experience a lack of energy and appetite, diarrhea, a decrease in egg production, paralysis, swelling of the head and eyelids, neurological impairment, and death. (6) Due to the transmissibility of the virus, there is little choice but to cull the entirety of an infected flock.

Some AIVs have infected other mammals but have rarely infected humans; however, high mortality rates occur when humans are infected. (4, 5) Human infection with AVI is a result from direct exposure to infected poultry or their environment. (3) The first human disease caused by H5N1 was reported in Hong Kong in 1997. This outbreak caused 18 cases in humans, of which, six resulted in death. Meanwhile, 1.5 million chickens died, either from infection or from being culled in order to control the outbreak. (7) Since 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded a total of 863 cases of human infection with H5N1 virus globally, of which 455 were fatal, resulting in a case fatality rate of 53%. (8) A prison inmate in Colorado became the first case of a human being infected by this virus in April of this year. (9).

Though the threat to humans is low, AIV poses a global economic, agricultural, and public health concern. Add this to the list of problems causing prices to rise in the grocery stores, such as inflation and the war in the Ukraine. Nevertheless, outbreaks of AIV must be mitigated before the virus can possibly adapt to transmit more efficiently to humans, making this a continuing potential threat. (7) Additionally, AIV can threaten whole populations of wild migratory birds and cause the death of millions of chickens. (5) AIV outbreaks also cause serious economic implications in the poultry industry, as well as in the upstream and downstream sectors. Therefore, decreasing the exposure of poultry to this virus through improvements in biosecurity, reduction of flock sizes, and avoidance of poultry production in areas habituated with water fowl may be advantageous in reducing AIV outbreaks.

By Makena Brand

Technical Support Microbiologist

Hardy Diagnostics

References: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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