Overview
- A Nature Microbiology paper from UC San Diego and Mass General Brigham identifies ethanol-producing gut bacteria and pathways that can cause intoxication without drinking.
- In an observational cohort of 22 ABS patients, 21 household partners, and 22 controls, stool from patients during flares generated markedly higher ethanol levels in the lab.
- Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were implicated in some patients, with elevated fermentation enzymes during flares suggesting pathway-targeted therapies.
- Antibiotics lowered in vitro ethanol output from patient samples, supporting the feasibility of a stool-based diagnostic approach.
- A documented case showed more than 16 months symptom-free after a second fecal microbiota transplant, and a phase 1 trial is enrolling eight ABS patients.