Key Insights

• See how the abundance of Collinsella aerofaciens in your gut relates to digestion, cholesterol handling, and gut barrier health.
• Spot microbial imbalance that may help explain gas and bloating after carbs, swings in stool consistency, or metabolic trends like higher triglycerides.
• Clarify how your recent diet pattern, antibiotic or acid-reducer use, stress, or travel may be shaping Collinsella levels and activity.
• Support personalized nutrition and microbiome strategies with your clinician by understanding whether Collinsella is relatively high, low, or stable for you.
• Track Collinsella over time to see how shifts in fiber intake, fermented foods, or medication changes map to your symptoms and lab trends.
• Integrate results with other panels (lipids, glucose and A1c, inflammatory markers, or broader microbiome diversity) for a fuller view of metabolic and gut status.

What is a Collinsella aerofaciens test?

A Collinsella aerofaciens test analyzes a stool sample to quantify the relative abundance of Collinsella aerofaciens, a common gut bacterium within the Actinobacteria group. Labs measure its DNA using modern sequencing methods such as 16S rRNA profiling or shotgun metagenomics to estimate how much Collinsella is present compared with other microbes. Results are typically reported as a percentage of total microbial reads and may be benchmarked against a reference cohort to show whether your level is lower, average, or higher than peers. Because the gut ecosystem is dynamic, results reflect your current state rather than a fixed trait.

Why Collinsella matters: this microbe ferments carbohydrates to produce short-chain metabolites, interacts with bile acids, and has been associated in research with lipid and glucose patterns, intestinal permeability, and inflammation signals. In practical terms, Collinsella can rise with highly processed, low-fiber eating and fall with fiber-forward patterns, though there is wide individual variation. Higher Collinsella has been linked in several cohorts to higher triglycerides and insulin resistance tendencies, while lower levels often appear in more plant-diverse diets, though causality is not proven and more research is needed. Your number does not diagnose disease; it adds context to how your gut community supports or strains digestion and metabolic balance.

Why Is It Important to Test Your Collinsella aerofaciens?

Collinsella aerofaciens sits at the intersection of digestion and metabolism. It helps break down carbohydrates and interacts with bile acids that carry cholesterol and fats through the gut. In cell and human cohort studies, higher Collinsella has been associated with increased gut permeability and pro-inflammatory signaling, as well as higher triglycerides and LDL cholesterol in some populations, while lower levels often track with more fiber-rich patterns. Think of it like a dial: if Collinsella is turned up in a low-fiber, high-refined-carb routine, you may see more gas after meals and metabolic labs drifting upward; if it is dialed down in a diverse, plant-forward pattern, you may see steadier stools and a friendlier lipid profile — individual responses vary.

Testing becomes especially helpful when you want to connect everyday choices with measurable biology. After antibiotics or frequent acid-reducer use, Collinsella may shift, changing how you process carbs and bile acids. Major diet changes, travel, or a new GLP-1 regimen can alter motility and meal patterning, which can ripple through Collinsella levels and fermentation activity. If you are tracking persistent bloating, fluctuating stools, or upward trends in triglycerides, measuring Collinsella alongside other microbiome and blood markers can clarify whether your gut ecosystem is amplifying or buffering those signals. The goal is not to chase a single “perfect” value; it is to observe patterns that align with symptoms and labs so you and your clinician can make informed, targeted adjustments.

What Insights Will I Get From a Collinsella aerofaciens test?

Your report will show Collinsella as a relative abundance compared with a reference population. In diverse, resilient microbiomes, Collinsella is typically present at low to moderate levels. There is no universal “optimal,” but mid-range values within a balanced community often suggest steady carbohydrate fermentation, routine bile acid transformation, and a calmer inflammatory tone.

Higher-than-average Collinsella may reflect a gut environment that favors fast carbohydrate fermentation, which can coincide with gas, post-meal bloating, or looser stools. Observational studies have linked higher Collinsella to less favorable lipid and glucose patterns, though associations are not destiny and must be interpreted in context. Lower-than-average Collinsella can be entirely normal, particularly in fiber-rich, plant-diverse diets where other beneficial fermenters are abundant; very low levels, on their own, do not signal a problem.

Interpretation is strongest when you connect this single microbe to the larger picture. Pair Collinsella with total microbiome diversity, beneficial genera (for example, Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium), and blood markers such as triglycerides, LDL-C, fasting glucose, and A1c. Repeating the test can show whether your gut community is trending toward stability as your habits evolve.

Important caveats: stool results are a snapshot and can vary day to day; methods differ across labs, and 16S versus metagenomics can yield slightly different estimates. Recent antibiotics, colonoscopy prep, laxatives, or acute illness can shift readings. Use this result as a conversation starter with your clinician to align symptoms, diet, medications, and labs into a coherent plan.