A catalog of ethanol-producing microbes in humans.

ABSTRACT

Aim: Endogenous ethanol production emerges as a mechanism of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, obesity, diabetes and auto-brewery syndrome. Methods: To identify ethanol-producing microbes in humans, we used the NCBI taxonomy browser and the PubMed database with an automatic query and manual verification. Results: 85 ethanol-producing microbes in human were identified. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida and Pichia were the most represented fungi. Enterobacteriaceae was the most represented bacterial family with mainly Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Species of the Lachnospiraceae and Clostridiaceae family, of the Lactobacillales order and of the Bifidobacterium genus were also identified. Conclusion: This catalog will help the study of ethanol-producing microbes in human in the pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention and management of human diseases associated with endogenous ethanol production.

Our bodies are home to a community of tiny living organisms like bacteria, viruses and archaea, collectively known as the microbiota. These microbes are crucial for our well-being and the proper functioning of our bodies. Certain things, like antibiotics or an imbalanced diet, can disturb this microbial community, known as dysbiosis. This can lead to illness. This review focuses on dysbiosis related to the production of ethanol, a type of alcohol, within our bodies. While the disruption of the microbiota has been linked to several health issues, the role of ethanol production in this is not well explored. This review aims to shed light on the microbes involved in this process. We found 85 microbes capable of producing ethanol in the human body, including 61 bacterial and 24 yeast species. This review provides a detailed updated catalog of ethanol-producing microbes in humans. Understanding these microbes and their role in diseases related to ethanol production could pave the way for better diagnostic tools and treatments in the future.