Bifidobacterium bifidum

Bifidobacterium bifidum is a bacterial species of the Bifidobacterium genus. B. bifidum is one of the most common probiotic bacteria that can be found in the body of mammals, including humans.

Structure and characteristics

Since B. bifidum is a Gram-positive bacterium that is not motile, anaerobic, and not spore-forming. The bacterium is rod-shaped and can be found living in clusters, pairs, or even independently. The majority of the population of B. bifidum is found in the colon, lower small intestine, breast milk, and often in the vagina.^[1]

Benefits

B. bifidum helps the gastrointestinal tract function better since it is part of the microflora. This reduces the chances of acute diarrhea and even helps fight E. coli infections.^[1] Long and short chains of simple sugars that can be found in the GI tract are broken down and absorbed by B. bifidum.^[2] Increasing the amount of B. bifidum in the body will also increase the immunity function such as lowering the severity of symptoms and decreasing the days infected with the common cold.^[3] Since B. bifidum can be found in the vagina, the bacteria can fight Candida and other yeast overgrowths if present.^[1]

Transmission

B. bifidum can be found in breast milk. Breast feeding is one way to transmit the bacteria from mother to child. B. bifidum is found in the vagina; some studies show that vaginal births transmit more B.bifidum from mother to child than caesarean births.^[2] Transmission of B. bifidium allows a child to begin production of microflora which helps to colonize the child’s intestines after birth.^[4]

References