Did you know that you could donate your poop to save others lives?
If you’re like me, then your answer is probably, “I’m sorry what?”
It’s true and it’s called a fecal microbiota transplantation, or just FMT for short. Highlighted by Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, FMT involves stool from a healthy donor which is placed into another patient’s intestine. This method of treatment is used to treat microbial dysbioses–changes to the microbiota associated with negative functional outcomes. This method is commonly used to treat Clostridum difficle infection–a common disease acquired while in a hospital from antibiotic therapy. Routes of administration for FMT include endoscopic delivery, naso-intestinal tube delivery, retention enemas, or capsule ingestion.
What constitutes a healthy donor?
The human gut harbors an abundant and diverse microbial community that is as unique to an individual as a fingerprint.
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology describe that each person has a unique microbiome that is unlike any other. Because of this, what is defined as a healthy microbiome stands unclear. The authors claim that it is “generally accepted that having a stable and diverse gut community correlates with a healthy intestinal state.” Dysbiosis is associated with having a low microbial diversity. Other factors, both genetic and environmental, also have been found to influence FMT success among donors. Genetic differences in innate immune responses, or environmental factors such as diet, xenobiotic exposure–chemical substance not naturally produced by an organism, and microbial interaction all effect donor-recipient compatibility.
Can it treat other diseases besides CDI?
Due to the overwhelming success of FMT with CDI, researchers have started investigating the use of FMT for treating other diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowl syndrome (IBS), constipation and allergic colitis. Potentially using FMT to treat debilitating disorders such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis could affect millions of people that are suffering.
CRAAP
CRAAP is a test to evaluate the Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose of a source. The article used in this post from Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology was published on January 21, 2019 which is very current. This source does give credible information about FMT and is written at the scholarly level my professor requires. This article was written by multiple authors who have their doctorates or are doctorate students from The Liggins Institute and The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard which are both reputable institutions. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology is a rigorously peer reviewed science journal that includes citations for all information provided within the article and at the end. The sources used throughout the article come from scholarly sources from within the last 5 years. The information provided comes from research studies as facts and there appears to be no bias in the information given.
Vaccine Culture 