Disease information

Worldwide, liver disease accounts for an estimated 2 million deaths [Mokdad et al, 2014]. Liver cirrhosis is attributed to acute and chronic liver damage, resulting in reduction in quality of life, liver cancer or mortality. There is a global prevalence of liver cirrhosis in which not limited to gender, age, ethnicity or geography. Viral hepatitis infection, obesity, digestive disease, and excessive alcohol consumption are contributors towards cirrhosis. Liver directly interacts with the gut, using bile secretion system and the hepatic portal. The microbiome of the gut and liver is thought to be influenced by translocation of products across the barrier leading to dysbiosis [Wiest et al, 2005, Nolan, 2010 and Gill et al, 2006]. This could potentially accelerate development of liver cirrhosis. The mechanism remains ambiguous, despite evidence of transformation of the gut microbiome contributes towards liver disease [Cesaro et al, 2011]. Studies concentrating on gut dysbiosis has been established from murine models and faecal samples from liver cirrhosis patients [Chen et al, 2011 and Yan et al, 2011].