Gut-liver changes drive foodborne infection severity in fatty liver disease
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Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have discovered that individuals with fatty liver disease are more susceptible to severe foodborne infections due to changes in the gut-liver connection. The study found that restoring a healthy gut microbiome can reduce infection severity.
A research team led by the University of California, Irvine, has found that individuals with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), or fatty liver disease, face worse outcomes from certain foodborne infections. The study, conducted on mice, showed that MASLD worsens outcomes following infection with Vibrio vulnificus, a potentially life-threatening foodborne bacterium. MASLD disrupts normal gut function, leading to increased intestinal permeability and microbial imbalance, allowing harmful bacteria to travel from the gut to the liver. The gut microbiome plays a critical role in shaping these outcomes, and restoring a healthy microbiome can reduce infection severity. The findings provide insight into why patients with MASLD are vulnerable and lay the groundwork for future clinical strategies. Non-cholera vibriosis affects an estimated half a million people globally each year, with cases rising due to climate change and warming ocean temperatures.
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