Parvimonas micra (P. micra)

Parvimonas micra is a Gram-positive, obligately anaerobic coccus that is a common member of the human oral and gastrointestinal microbiota (Source: StatPearls, 2023). While typically existing as a commensal, it is a well-documented opportunistic pathogen frequently implicated in polymicrobial infections, particularly chronic periodontitis, endodontic infections, and various systemic abscesses in the brain, liver, and lungs (Source: Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 2017). In recent years, P. micra has gained significant clinical interest due to its strong association with colorectal cancer (CRC), where it is frequently found enriched in the fecal and mucosal samples of patients, suggesting a potential role in oncogenesis or as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker (Source: Nature Medicine, 2019). As an organism rather than a specific protein or receptor, it is not a molecular target in the traditional sense; however, it is the biological target of anaerobic-active antimicrobial therapy. Treatment typically involves the use of antibiotics such as metronidazole, clindamycin, or beta-lactams, which target essential bacterial structures or metabolic pathways to resolve infection (Source: Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2020).

Other names

Peptostreptococcus microsMicromonas microsPeptococcus micros

Therapeutic agents do not target a single molecule on Parvimonas micra but rather disrupt its cellular processes: Metronidazole causes DNA strand breakage via reductive activation; Beta-lactams (e.g., Penicillin) inhibit cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis; Clindamycin inhibits protein synthesis by binding to the 50S ribosomal subunit (Source: StatPearls, 2023).