Gut Fermentation Syndrome is a rare condition in which there is a surplus fungal growth in the digestive tract, which feeds on carbohydrates and leads to the production of ethanol.
This leads to a state of intoxication in the patient even without the ingestion of alcohol, which is why it is also called the ‘drunkenness’ disease.
According to a Fox News report, a 47-year-old man who was diagnosed with the gut fermentation syndrome, also known as auto-brewery syndrome (ABS), was put on a treatment course consisting of a low-carb diet and antifungal medication. Despite these measures, signs of intoxication persisted.
The intoxication was so severe that the man even “lost his driving license after a random police check,” Insider reported.
Medical professionals then turned to fecal microbiota transplantation, or in other words, a poop transplant, for treatment. The transplant came from the man’s 22-year-old daughter. Useful bacteria from the faecal matter were transferred to the patient’s small intestine, and his symptoms resolved following the procedure.
The authors of the report said that the case is believed to be the "first successful treatment of a patient with chronic gut fermentation syndrome by using faecal microbiota transplantation.”
Faecal transplants can now be considered for similar cases in the future, they added.
In recent years, there have been other reported cases of auto-brewery syndrome, also often called the “drunkenness disease”.
Since the fungus feeds on elevated blood sugar, those with diabetes or cirrhosis, or a history of digestive tract surgery, are at greater risk for ABS.
(With Inputs from Fox News)
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