The Liver Meeting 2019-Influence of the Microbiome on Liver Disease Phenotype and Outcome

Influence of the Microbiome on Liver Disease Phenotype and Outcome

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In the video transcript, Dr. X discusses the changes in the gut microbiome in advanced liver disease, focusing on alcoholic liver disease. Factors like diet, medications, and liver disease etiology impact the gut microbiome. Differences in microbial composition were found between patients with early-stage liver disease and alcoholic hepatitis. Enterococcus faecalis levels were notably high in alcoholic hepatitis patients but did not correlate with disease severity. The presence of the toxin cytolysin correlated with mortality in alcoholic hepatitis patients. Studies on fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis showed promising results in improving patient outcomes. Precision approaches involving engineered microbes and bacteriophages were also explored. The potential for using bugs as drugs, targeted elimination of harmful microbes, and modulation of bile acids were discussed as strategies for restoring gut microbiome balance in liver disease treatment. Validation in large prospective studies is essential for clinical application.

Asset Caption

Presenter: Bernd Schnabl

Keywords

gut microbiome

alcoholic liver disease

Enterococcus faecalis

FMT

bile acids