Marker Guide

Acetate producing microbes

What this marker measures

The collective capacity of the microbial community to produce acetate, the most abundant short-chain fatty acid in the gut. Acetate supports immune function and broader metabolic regulation^1–3, and can also be converted by other gut bacteria into butyrate^4,5. This marker reflects the combined functional potential of all acetate-producing species, not any single organism.

Clinical associations

Consider this marker when your patient presents with:

Immune dysregulation

Conditions where immune modulation via SCFAs may be relevant.

Interpreting the result

All results are compared to Microba's healthy cohort to determine whether they fall within or outside the expected range.

LOW

Acetate-producing potential is lower than expected

Consider in combination with other SCFA markers, dietary fibre intake, microbial diversity and clinical presentation. Action: see Patient management insights guidance below.

Within Range

Acetate-producing potential is within expected parameters

Suggests the capacity to support immune function and cross-feeding for butyrate production.Maintain dietary diversity.

HIGH

Acetate-producing potential is higher than expected

Usually not a concern in isolation. Higher acetate-producing potential may support immune regulation and cross-feeding for butyrate production.

Patient management insights

Support the conditions that help the entire acetate-producing community thrive.

Dietary strategies

Increase arabinoxylan intake (whole grains, rye, wheat bran). PP IV

Foods high in pectin(apples, avocados, broccoli, oranges, plums)^6,7. PP IV

Foods with resistant starch (slightly green bananas, cooked/cooled potato)^10,11PP IV

Foods with short-chain inulin (chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, garlic, onion) ^8,9PP IV

Lifestyle factors

Diverse plant-based diet (30+ plant foods/week) to support overall SCFA production.

Tips for patients discussion

Your report shows that the group of microbes responsible for producing acetate, which supports immune and metabolic health, is currently lower than expected. We can support this group by increasing specific fibres such as pectin, inulin and resistant starch.

The community

Acetate is not produced by a single species, it's a community-level function. Below are some of the most common, though this list is not exhaustive.

Acetatifactor sp900066565
Agathobacter rectale
Agathobaculum butyriciproducens
Anaerostipes hadrus
Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron
Bacteroides uniformis
Bacteroides_B vulgatus
Blautia_A massiliensis
Blautia_A obeum
Blautia_A wexlerae
CAG-41 sp900066215
Clostridium_Q sp003024715
Clostridium_Q sp003024715
Dorea formicigenerans
Eubacterium_E hallii
Faecalibacterium MIC7145
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii_C
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii_C
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii_G
Fusicatenibacter saccharivorans
Odoribacter splanchnicus
Odoribacter splanchnicus
Oscillibacter sp900066435

How results are calculated

All microbiome marker results are compared against the Microba Healthy Cohort — a purpose-built group of more than 450 healthy individuals, with samples collected and analysed using the same workflow as patient samples

.Each marker is scored by comparing the patient's relative abundance against the cohort average. The distance from this average is expressed as standard deviations, and determines whether a result is classified as Low, Borderline, or High.

How the result scale works

▲ AVG (Healthy Cohort average)

The patient's relative abundance is compared to the Healthy Cohort average. A negative distance from average means the microbial group is less abundant than the Healthy Cohort. A positive distance means it is more abundant. Results falling outside the expected range are classified as borderline or high/low (borderline high/low:+/-0.68,andhigh/low:+/-1.28).

Evidence grading for patient management insights

The letter grades shown next to each patient management insight show the quality of the research behind it. Every insight provided has been through a rigorous review of the scientific literature and graded using the NHMRC Levels of Evidence, so you can see exactly how strong the evidence is before applying it in practice.

Source references for all clinical associations, interpretation definitions, and patient management insights on this card.

1. Xu, M. et al. Acetate attenuates inflammasome activation through GPR43-mediated Ca2+-dependent NLRP3 ubiquitination. Exp Mol Med 51, 1–13 (2019).
2. Park, J. et al. Short-chain fatty acids induce both effector and regulatory T cells by suppression of histone deacetylases and regulation of the mTOR–S6K pathway. Mucosal Immunology 8, 80–93 (2015).
3. Kimura, I. et al. The gut microbiota suppresses insulin-mediated fat accumulation via the short-chain fatty acid receptor GPR43. Nature communications 4, 1829–1829 (2013).
4. Duncan, S. H. et al. Contribution of acetate to butyrate formation by human faecal bacteria. British Journal of Nutrition 91, 915–923 (2004).
5. Louis, P. et al. Restricted Distribution of the Butyrate Kinase Pathway among Butyrate-Producing Bacteria from the Human Colon. Journal of Bacteriology 186, 2099–2106 (2004).
6. Míguez, B., Vila, C., Venema, K., Parajó, J. C. & Alonso, J. L. Prebiotic effects of pectooligosaccharides obtained from lemon peel on the microbiota from elderly donors using an in vitro continuous colon model (TIM-2). Food Funct. 11, 9984–9999 (2020).
7. Ferreira-Lazarte, A., Moreno, F. J., Cueva, C., Gil-Sánchez, I. & Villamiel, M. Behaviour of citrus pectin during its gastrointestinal digestion and fermentation in a dynamic simulator (simgi®). Carbohydrate Polymers 207, 382–390 (2019).
8. Noack, J., Timm, D., Hospattankar, A. & Slavin, J. Fermentation Profiles of Wheat Dextrin, Inulin and Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum Using an in Vitro Digestion Pretreatment and in Vitro Batch Fermentation System Model. Nutrients 5, 1500–1510 (2013).
9. Yang, J., Martínez, I., Walter, J., Keshavarzian, A. & Rose, D. J. In vitro characterization of the impact of selected dietary fibers on fecal microbiota composition and short chain fatty acid production. Anaerobe 23, 74–81 (2013).
10. Klostermann, C. E. et al. Presence of digestible starch impacts in vitro fermentation of resistant starch. Food Funct. 15, 223–235 (2024).
11. Kaur, A., Rose, D. J., Rumpagaporn, P., Patterson, J. A. & Hamaker, B. R. In Vitro Batch Fecal Fermentation Comparison of Gas and Short‐Chain Fatty Acid Production Using “Slowly Fermentable” Dietary Fibers. Journal of Food Science 76, (2011).