Contribution of gut bacterial metabolism to human metabolic disease.

Metronidazole, an antibiotic with specific activity against anaerobic bacteria, was of clinical and biochemical benefit in two patients with methylmalonic aciduria. The virtual elimination of propionic acid from the stool suggested that propionic acid derived from faecal bacterial metabolism contributes substantially to methylmalonate production. These findings point to a novel avenue of treatment for these disorders of intermediary metabolism, and indicate the importance of microbial gut flora in normal human metabolism.