A genus of rod-shaped bacteria that are commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals; anaerobic bacteria that play a role in digestion.
From 'bacterio-' (bacteria) + '-oides' (from Greek 'eidos,' meaning resembling or form), naming bacteria that resemble rods, formalized as a genus name in microbiology during the late 19th century.
Bacteroides are so abundant in your gut that they actually outnumber your own human cells—these bacteria are essential partners in digestion, and disrupting them can cause serious digestive problems.
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