ABSTRACT
Recent studies heve demonstrated that Akkermansia muciniphila (A.muciniphila) plays an important role in human health and disease , including regulating the development of the immune system and the metabolic phenotype of the host.This article reviews the research progress on A.muciniphila in recent years, focusing on the basic characteristics , the influencing factors of colonization , and the underlying mechanism of maintaining intestinal homeostasis of A.muciniphila.Additionally, the article summarizes the potential association between A.muciniphila and the chronic metabolic diseases such as obesity , atherosclerosis,diabetes mellitus and infectious diseases.The perspect of A.muciniphila as a new generation of probiotics in clinical medicine and the challenge for its industrialization are also discussed in the article .