Fecal Microbiota Transplantation, or Poop Transplant, was recently used to cure a man with gut-fermentation syndrome making it the first such case in the medical literature.
The 47-year-old from Belgium had reported feeling symptoms of intoxication on and off for two months. Upon testing, the patient’s blood ethanol levels were found to be 17 times higher than normal despite the fact that he had not had a drink in four days. Doctors diagnosed him with gut-fermentation syndrome, better known as Auto-Brewery Syndrome (ABS).
Auto-Brewery Syndrome – The Drunkenness Disease
ABS is a rare condition in which the stomach’s microbes, mainly fungi, start converting the carbohydrates into alcohol. While everyone has some number of fermenting microbes in their guts, people with ABS generally have an increased amount thus leading to excess ethanol production.
Antibiotics use, as in this particular case, can also lead to ABS as it disrupts the gut’s flora. The excessive alcohol in the body starts making it seem like the patient is suffering from a hangover. Disorientation, headache, nausea, flushed skin, memory problem, and mood changes are just some of the symptoms of ABS.
According to the case study published in the journal, Annals of Internal Medicine, the doctors decided to prescribe oral antifungals and a low-carb diet to the 47-year-old. However, there was little change to the patient’s condition and he even ended up getting ticketed for drunk driving despite not having had a drink. That’s when the doctors decided to go for a Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT), or poop transplant.
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) aka Poop Transplant
Now, as strange as that sounds it is important to remember that FMT is a procedure that’s been around since the 1960s and is an established treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infections. It involves the transfer of fecal material containing microbes from a healthy individual into the recipient. In recent years the procedure has gained popularity for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, metabolic syndrome and, neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s.
The patient’s 22-year-old daughter voluntarily donated a sample that was transplanted into the patient. Fortunately, the poop transplant was effective at immediately getting rid of the patient’s symptoms. At his follow up at 34 months the patient was seen to be free of all ABS symptoms, his blood ethanol levels were seen to be normal and, he was able to consume a carbohydrate-rich diet and alcohol without any side-effects.
Researchers believe that fecal microbiota transplantation should be considered in patients of ABS who do not respond to any other form of treatment.
Reference:
Vandekerckhove, E., Janssens, F., Tate, D., & Looze, D. D. (2020). Treatment of Gut Fermentation Syndrome With Fecal Microbiota Transplantation. Annals of Internal Medicine. doi:10.7326/l20-0341
