For real

In Featured Posts, Probiotics and Gut Health by Prof

During the next lecture, I will describe another way to correct a dysbiotic gut microbiome.  It’s a rather unconventional medical practice now being used to treat antibiotic-resistant Clostridioides difficile infections.  This organism, called “C. diff” in the popular press, causes a truly miserable disease.  Patients who have this organism in their gut can be chronically ill, with a terrible quality of life.  In severe cases, the infection can be so bad that removal of the colon is sometimes the only remedy.

A few years ago, a handful of medical researchers developed a novel idea – why not replace the gut microbiota of these C. difficile patients with gut contents from healthy donors.  When I say “gut contents” you should realize that I am referring to poop.  Guess what?  It works.  As a matter of fact, these so-called Fecal Microbiota Transplants (FMT) work great, with reported success rates of 90% or higher.

Scientists have created fecal banks – collections of gut bacteria from donors that can be stored away and used to treat patients without having to round up fresh material.  They are like blood banks.  There are even “do-it-yourself” kits and with websites that have detailed instructions.  So popular is this treatment, it’s been described in YouTube videos and in how-to books.  Needless to say, I do not recommend the DIY approach.