For the first time, doctors identify the case of a woman who urinates alcohol without consuming it. His bladder works like a real micro-brewery.
This is a unique case in the world at the moment. The one identified by doctors from the University of Pittsburgh (United States) a few months ago. They first reviewed the case of a 61-year-old woman with cirrhosis of the liver and diabetes. These two diseases are very often associated with heavy alcohol consumption. This woman was to be placed on a waiting list for a future liver transplant. However, during examinations, the doctors found significant traces of alcohol in his urine. Although the patient strongly denied having drunk, she was not placed on the famous list.
Poorly controlled diabetes was suspicious
A few weeks later, she underwent further tests. Again, the doctors found traces of alcohol in the urine, but not in the blood. Perplexed, the medical team then decided to carry out further examinations. This is where doctors found a strain of yeast called Candida glabrata. It is a fungus corresponding to brewer’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). In reality, this is not unusual, but the fact that this woman has poorly controlled diabetes made doctors think that yeast was fermenting this sugar to produce alcohol.
The bladder as a “micro-brewery”
To further their research, the doctors took urine samples which they then placed in Petri dishes. Some had a lot of yeast, others hardly any. A few hours later, the medical team found that the yeast had indeed produced alcohol. In the samples with the most yeast, the alcohol level had even increased from 40 to 800 mg/dL. “This is an extreme amount”, comments Kenichi Tamama, a pathologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. We can therefore say that this woman’s bladder has turned into a veritable micro-brewery, because to produce alcohol you need water, sugar, yeast and the absence of oxygen. All the ingredients were present to promote fermentation.
Soon the transplant?
In addition to this unusual discovery, this research has made it possible to prove that the patient was not lying and therefore did not consume alcohol. Currently, doctors are trying to improve his condition in preparation for a future transplant. They already prescribed him an antifungal medication, but it didn’t work. Other treatment options are being investigated.
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