Key clinical point: Differences in metabolism of levodopa between patients with Parkinson’s disease may be caused by variations in abundance of the gut bacteria Enterococcus faecalis.

Major finding: (S)-alpha-fluoromethyltyrosine completely inhibited decarboxylation of levodopa in both E. faecalis cells and complex human microbiome samples.

Study details: Cell line and mouse model research.

Disclosures: Dr. Balskus reported funding from HHMI, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Merck.