The human body contains 10 bacterial cells for every human cell. This vast, largely unexplored bacterial community known as the microbiome has been linked to many aspects of human health, from gastrointestinal diseases to obesity. Importantly, disrupting the microbiome with antibiotics can cause disease by wiping out the helpful bacteria in our guts. Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) is a new treatment that has been shown to be over 90% effective for treating C. difficile infection in patients who had previously failed to recover with antibiotic therapy.
During FMT, a fecal preparation from a carefully screened, healthy stool donor is transplanted into the colon of the patient. There are multiple routes of administration (e.g., via colonoscopy, naso-enteric tube, capsules), each of which has unique risks and benefits. In a healthy gut community, C. difficile is out-competed…
