Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 25, 2026

Coprococcus

Coprococcus is a genus of obligately anaerobic, nonmotile, Gram-positive cocci that are part of the human and animal gut microbiota.

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Coprococcus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Bacteria
Kingdom: Bacillati
Phylum: Bacillota
Class: Clostridia
Order: Eubacteriales
Family: Lachnospiraceae
Genus: Coprococcus
Holdeman and Moore 19741
Type species
Coprococcus eutactus
Holdeman and Moore 1974
Species
  • C. aceti
  • C. ammoniilyticus
  • C. eutactus
  • C. hominis
  • C. immobilis
  • C. intestinihominis
  • C. mobilis

Coprococcus is a genus of obligately anaerobic, nonmotile, Gram-positive cocci that are part of the human and animal gut microbiota.2

Coprococcus spp. are notable for their ability to ferment dietary fibers into short-chain fatty acids, especially butyrate, which is a key metabolite that supports colonocyte health, enhances mucosal integrity, and has anti-inflammatory properties. The genus is considered an important contributor to colonic homeostasis and overall gut health.3

Depletion of Coprococcus has been reported in patients with colorectal cancer, although a direct protective role remains to be fully established.4

One species, Coprococcus comes, may also influence the efficacy of blood pressure-lowering medications by modifying gut metabolism of esterified angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.5

Phylogeny

The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN)1 and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)6

16S rRNA-based LTP_10_2024789 120 marker gene-based GTDB 09-RS220101112
Coprococcus

C. eutactus Holdeman & Moore 1974

C. ammoniilyticus Hitch et al. 2022

C. hominis Liu et al. 2022

Coprococcus

C. eutactus

C. ammoniilyticus

Additional species placed elsewhere in LTP and GTDB phylogenies:

  • Coprococcus catus Holdeman and Moore 1974
  • Coprococcus comes Holdeman and Moore 1974
  • "Coprococcus phoceensis" Bonnet et al. 2019

Etymology

From Ancient Greek:

  • kopros – excrement, faeces
  • kokkos – berry

→ Coprococcus – faecal coccus

See also

See also

References

References

  1. A.C. Parte; et al. "Coprococcus". List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN). Retrieved 2022-09-09.
  2. Holdeman, L. V.; Moore, W. E. C. (1974). "New Genus, Coprococcus, Twelve New Species, and Emended Descriptions of Four Previously Described Species of Bacteria from Human Feces". International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. 24 (2): 260–277. doi:10.1099/00207713-24-2-260.
  3. Louis, Petia; Flint, Harry J. (2017). "Formation of propionate and butyrate by the human colonic microbiota". Environmental Microbiology. 19 (1): 29–41. doi:10.1111/1462-2920.13589. hdl:2164/9751. PMID 27235414.
  4. Xia, Li C.; Liu, Gang; Gao, Yingxin; Li, Xiaoxin; Pan, Hongfei; Ai, Dongmei (2019). "Identifying Gut Microbiota Associated With Colorectal Cancer Using a Zero-Inflated Lognormal Model". Frontiers in Microbiology. 10: 826. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.00826. ISSN 1664-302X. PMC 6491826. PMID 31068913.
  5. Yang et al. (2022). Identification of a gut commensal that compromises the blood pressure-lowering effect of ester angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.121.18711. Hypertension. 2022;79:1591–1601.
  6. Sayers; et al. "Coprococcus". National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) taxonomy database. Retrieved 2022-09-09.
  7. "The LTP". Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  8. "LTP_all tree in newick format". Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  9. "LTP_10_2024 Release Notes" (PDF). Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  10. "GTDB release 09-RS220". Genome Taxonomy Database. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  11. "bac120_r220.sp_labels". Genome Taxonomy Database. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  12. "Taxon History". Genome Taxonomy Database. Retrieved 10 May 2024.