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 (teng 2024 gut microbiome lipids mr, Mendelian randomization). The family is also enriched in cardiovascular disease states, where its abundance correlates with pro-atherogenic metabolic pathways (zhu 2023 gut microbiota metabolic pathways cvd, cross-sectional; rahman 2022 gut microbiota cvd therapeutic regulation, review). Notably, Erysipelotrichaceae shifts have been observed in autoimmune thyroid conditions alongside other metabolic disruptions (zhao 2022 gut microbiota graves hashimotos, cross-sectional), suggesting the family may serve as a broader marker of host metabolic dysregulation rather than a pathogen in any single disease.
Cross-References
- bacteroidetes — often inversely correlated with Erysipelotrichaceae in metabolic disease
- atherosclerosis — cardiovascular disease associations
- obesity — primary condition of enrichment
- metabolic syndrome — associated metabolic context