ABOVE: Images of the livers of mice fed a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae, isolated from a patient with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, that produces high levels of alcohol. On the left, the histology reveals evidence of liver injury. On the right, the mouse has been treated with the antibiotic imipenim and its liver looks healthier.
ADAPTED FROM J. YUAN ET AL., CELL METABOLISM, 2019.
Researchers have identified one possible cause of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a common disorder in which fat builds up in the liver with potentially life-threatening downstream effects, including inflammation, cirrhosis, and cancer. In the study, published today (September 19) in Cell Metabolism, the researchers isolated from the feces of people with liver disease strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae that produce up to about five times as much alcohol as strains of the same species found in healthy people. When the researchers transferred the microbes to mice, the animals ...
