Enterotype
<p >An <b>enterotype</b> is a classification of living organisms based on its bacteriological <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem" title="Ecosystem" >ecosystem</a> in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gut_flora" title="Gut flora" >gut microbiome</a>. The discovery of three human enterotypes was announced in the April 2011 issue of <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_(journal)" title="Nature (journal)" >Nature</a></i> by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer_Bork" title="Peer Bork" >Peer Bork</a> and his associates.<sup id="cite_ref-NYT_1-0" class="reference" ><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterotype#cite_note-NYT-1" >[1]</a></sup> They found that enterotypes are not dictated by age, gender, body weight, or national divisions.<sup id="cite_ref-Nature_2-0" class="reference" ><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterotype#cite_note-Nature-2" >[2]</a></sup> There are indications that long-term diet influences enterotype.<sup id="cite_ref-Wu_et_al_3-0" class="reference" ><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterotype#cite_note-Wu_et_al-3" >[3]</a></sup></p><p ><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimpanzee" title="Chimpanzee" >Chimpanzees</a> have enterotypes that are compositionally analogous to those found in humans. Using longitudinal samples, researchers found that the enterotype of individual chimpanzees varied over time.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" ><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterotype#cite_note-4" >[4]</a></sup></p><p >Type 1 is characterized by high levels of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteroides" title="Bacteroides" >Bacteroides</a>, type 2 has few Bacteroides but <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevotella" title="Prevotella" >Prevotella</a> are common, and type 3 has high levels of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruminococcus" title="Ruminococcus" >Ruminococcus</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-NYT_1-1" class="reference" ><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterotype#cite_note-NYT-1" >[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Wired_5-0" class="reference" ><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterotype#cite_note-Wired-5" >[5]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-NewScientist_6-0" class="reference" ><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterotype#cite_note-NewScientist-6" >[6]</a></sup></p><p >In a study of gut bacteria of children in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burkina_Faso" title="Burkina Faso" >Burkina Faso</a> (in Africa), <i>Prevotella</i> made up 53% of the gut bacteria, but were absent in age-matched European children.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference" ><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterotype#cite_note-7" >[7]</a></sup> Studies also indicate that long-term diet is strongly associated with the gut microbiome composition—those who eat plenty of protein and animal fats typical of Western diet have predominantly <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteroides" title="Bacteroides" >Bacteroides</a></i> bacteria, while for those who consume more carbohydrates, especially fibre, the <i>Prevotella</i> species dominate.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference" ><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterotype#cite_note-8" >[8]</a></sup></p>