Ruminococcus torques

Ruminococcus torques
Scientific classification
Domain: Bacteria
Kingdom: Bacillati
Phylum: Bacillota
Class: Clostridia
Order: Eubacteriales
Family: Oscillospiraceae
Genus: Ruminococcus
Species:
R. torques
Binomial name
Ruminococcus torques
Holdeman and Moore 1974

Ruminococcus torques is a gram-positive, spherical-to-oval-shaped bacterium. It is anerobic and non-motile. It was discovered by Holdeman and Moore in 1974.

R. torques is a mucin degrader and has been associated with inflammatory bowel diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, gut inflammation, and the early stages of colorectal cancer. It degrades mucin through its ability to degrade the mucin oligosaccaride. Ruminococcus and Bifidobacterium strains are able to degrade the oligosaccaride due to their production of extracellular glycosidase.

Togo et al proposed the reclassification of Ruminococcus torques to Mediterraneibacter torques with the type strain ATCC 27756T (= VPI B2-51T) in 2018.