Veillonella are commonly found in the human intestine as well as in the guts of other mammals. The bacteria of this genus are best known for their lactate-fermenting abilities. Lactate is a product of lactic acid, a product of cell metabolism that can accumulate when cells lack sufficient oxygen. Although Veillonella themselves are considered largely non-pathogenic (i.e. they do not cause disease), elevated levels have been observed in patients suffering from infections associated with conditions such as immunodeficiency.

The bacterial genus Veillonella is a group of 14 species. It was named in the 1930s after Adrien Veillon, the French microbiologist who isolated its first species.

Veillonella are anaerobic, gram-negative cocci, part of the normal flora of the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, and vaginal tract.

In humans they have been rarely implicated in cases of osteomyelitis and endocarditis, for example with the species Veillonella parvula.

References:

- Veillonella montpellierensis Endocarditis [L]

- Cross sectional evaluation of the gut-microbiome metabolome axis in an Italian cohort of IBD patients [L]

- Insulin resistance is associated with specific gut microbiota in appendix samples from morbidly obese patients. [L]