Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has been associated with bacterial overgrowth in the intestines, as well as a shift in the types of bacteria found there. But until now, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, little was actually known about the role of intestinal fungi in ALD. A University of California-San Diego and J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland study offers more evidence to support the connection.
In the study, the researchers found that fungi flourished in the intestines of mice with chronic alcohol exposure, and that fungal overgrowth exacerbated alcohol-induced liver disease. Treatment with amphotericin B reduced levels of liver injury and fat accumulation.
In small preliminary studies with humans, the researchers also linked intestinal fungi to ALD. People with alcohol use disorder and various stages of liver disease tended to have an overgrowth of a specific fungal species, as well as less fungal diversity, compared with healthy control subjects. Moreover, the more prevalent the fungal overgrowth in people with ALD, the higher the risk of death.
The researchers say that if further study confirms that fungi are involved in the worsening of ALD, it may be possible to slow disease progression by adjusting the balance of fungal species in the intestine.