Imagine feeling drunk or intoxicated without gulping down alcohol. A recent study confirmed the existence of the condition, identifying the primary culprits as gut bacteria.
What is the auto-brewery syndrome (ABS)?
People with this condition often experience intoxication without even consuming alcohol. Scientists have identified specific gut bacteria and biological pathways that cause alcohol to be produced inside the body in people with ABS.
The research published in Nature Microbiology states that the syndrome is developed when certain microbes in the gut break down carbohydrates and convert them into ethanol (alcohol), which then enters the bloodstream.
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This highly misunderstood condition is often missed because of limited awareness, difficulties with diagnosis, and social stigma.
How was the research conducted?
Experts studied 22 people diagnosed with ABS, along with 21 unaffected household partners and 22 healthy control participants. The activities of the gut microbes across these groups were compared to identify differences.
Testing of the stool samples collected from the patients during active ABS flare-ups showed more ethanol content in comparison to the rest of the samples.
A detailed stool analysis of the participants pointed to several bacterial species as key contributors, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
As a line of treatment, researchers found a patient whose symptoms improved after receiving a faecal microbiota transplantation.
"Auto-brewery syndrome is a misunderstood condition with few tests and treatments. Our study demonstrates the potential for faecal transplantation," said co-senior author Elizabeth Hohmann, MD, of the Infectious Disease Division in the Mass General Brigham Department of Medicine.
