Journal of Cells: New method of diagnosing cirrhosis using feces is more than 90% accurate

Chronic liver disease is an important global public health problem, affecting some 844 million people, according to the World Health Organization.
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide and can progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and cancer.
Scientists at the Salk Institute and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) recently created a new non-invasive diagnostic tool that relies on machine learning algorithms to analyze patients' stool samples, quickly and easily identify liver fibrosis and cirrhosis with more than 90 percent accuracy, and may help improve patient care and treatment for liver disease.
findings were published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
researchers point out that there is a lack of diagnostic tools for liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.
biopsy tissue examination is invasive and the MRI examination is less widespread.
these challenges, the team is trying to develop a new test method from the gut microbiome to identify high-risk patients.
microbiome refers to a collection of bacteria that live in the human gut.
recent years, more and more research evidence suggests that they may be important indicators of human health.
Dr Michael Downes, co-author of the study, said: "We are trying to develop a common, non-invasive method of detecting liver fibrosis and cirrhosis based on the disease's 'microbiome characteristics'.
, the team collected 163 clinical samples from patients and healthy members of their families to identify characteristics of liver disease based on different bacteria in stool samples.
team optimized an algorithm to identify microbial characteristics associated with the diagnosis of cirrhosis with 94% accuracy using microbial genetic analysis and metabolite data from stool samples.
these microbial characteristics can also determine the stage of development of liver fibrosis, helping doctors to grade patients according to the stage of disease and improve treatment strategies.
, the researchers applied their tests to two separate groups of patients from China and Italy, accurately identifying cirrhosis in more than 90 percent of patients.
results show that the algorithm can be applied accurately to patients with different genetic characteristics and eating habits.
"The microbiome is a dynamic living sensor with small changes in the health of the body, so it provides indicators of the health of the body," said Professor Ronald Evans, co-author of the paper on the study.
because of its speed and convenience, this diagnostic tool is expected to be widely used, especially in many areas where there are no specialist clinics and doctors, which will have world-wide significance.
future, scientists plan to test the causal link between the microbiome and liver disease by altering parts of the microbiome in the gut to see if it causes the disease to subside or worsen.
team also hopes the method could be used in other diseases associated with microbial imbalances, such as inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, alzheimer's disease, and so on.
: s1. Tae Gyu Oh et al., (2020) Universal Gut-Microbiome-Derived Signatures Cirrhosis. Cell Metabolism. DOI: Giant leap in booking liver disease. Retrieved 2020-07-02, from.