Mouse Model of Alcohol Abuse Shows Microbiome Changes

In one of the few published studies evaluating the role of chronic alcohol exposure and its impact on the microbiome, researchers at University College Cork, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and Teagasc Food Research Centre found marked changes in microbiota in a mouse model of alcohol abuse.

After four weeks of exposure to chronic intermittent vaporized ethanol, investigators found a reduction in bacteria alpha diversity comparable to inflammatory states in alcoholic hepatitis and prolonged psychological stress.

For more information, see "Drunk Bugs: Chronic Vapour Alcohol Exposure Induces Marked Changes in the Gut Microbiome in Mice" in Behavioral Brain Research.