Erysipelotrichaceae

Erysipelotrichaceae is a family within the phylum Firmicutes that has drawn increasing attention for its consistent enrichment in metabolic disorders. Members of this family are Gram-positive, obligate anaerobes found throughout the mammalian gastrointestinal tract, where they participate in lipid and cholesterol metabolism.

Multiple studies have identified Erysipelotrichaceae enrichment as a recurring feature of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Mendelian randomization analyses have linked elevated abundance of this family to altered lipid profiles, including higher LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (,^{[1]Causality of the gut microbiome and atherosclerosis-related lipids: a bidirectional Mendelian Randomization studyDa Teng, Wenjuan Jia, Wenlong Wang et al. · 2024Open reference 1 ↓} Mendelian randomization).

The family is also enriched in cardiovascular disease states, where its abundance correlates with pro-atherogenic metabolic pathways (,^{[2]Gut macrobiotic and its metabolic pathways modulate cardiovascular diseaseJunwen Zhu, Jin Lyu, Ruochi Zhao et al. · 2023Open reference 2 ↓} cross-sectional;,^{[3]The Gut Microbiota (Microbiome) in Cardiovascular Disease and Its Therapeutic RegulationMd. Mominur Rahman, Fahadul Islam, Md. Harun-Or-Rashid et al. · 2022Open reference 3 ↓} review).

Notably, Erysipelotrichaceae shifts have been observed in autoimmune thyroid conditions alongside other metabolic disruptions (,^{[4]Alterations and Mechanism of Gut Microbiota in Graves' Disease and Hashimoto's ThyroiditisZhao H, Yuan L, Zhu D et al. · 2022Open reference 4 ↓} cross-sectional), suggesting the family may serve as a broader marker of host metabolic dysregulation rather than a pathogen in any single disease.