Could Fecal Transplants Prevent Alcoholic Liver Disease?

the MPR take:

Gut microbiota could play a key role in the development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD), according to research results presented at the International Liver Congress 2014. In the study, one group of germ-free mice received gut microbiota fecal transplants from a patient with severe alcoholic hepatitis and the other from a patient with a history of alcohol abuse but not alcoholic hepatitis. Both groups were fed a liquid alcoholic diet. The mice with the microbiota from the patient with severe alcoholic hepatitis had greater liver injuries and higher intestinal mucosa disruptions, compared to the other group. Two Clostridium bacteria were identified as producing ethanol in vitro and linked to intestinal microbiota-associated liver injury.