THERE is a rare medical condition called auto-brewery syndrome (ABS), where people get drunk without drinking due to gut bacteria producing alcohol from food.
While normal digestion can create trace amounts of alcohol in anyone, people with ABS can produce levels high enough to have a noticeable effect.
Free drinks permanently on tap might sound like fun, but people with ABS face social stigma, medical complications, and even legal problems due to unexplained intoxication.
To determine the biological roots of the disorder, US researchers looked at the makeup and activity of gut microbes in 22 people diagnosed with ABS, along with 21 unaffected household partners and 22 healthy controls.
Stool analyses suggested several bacterial species as key contributors, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, although the researchers said that identifying the exact causative microbes in individual patients is far from straightforward.
The good news is that a faecal transplant trialled in one ABS patient was a success, rendering them symptom-free for more than 16 months.
"Auto-brewery syndrome is a misunderstood condition with few tests and treatments," said Dr Elizabeth Hohmann of Mass General Brigham.
"Our study demonstrates the potential for faecal transplantation," she added.
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