Fecal bacteriotherapy

[BluesBrother]

Recently, I heard about 'Fecal bacteriotherapy' for the first time. The therapy is based on transplanting fecal bacteria from a healthy individual to a recipient. Recent studies seem to have found positive effects for a number of medical conditions, including several autoimmune diseases. Given that many of us report digestive problems in connection to POIS, and given the increasing evidence about the relationship between the gut, the immune system, but also the vagus nerve, maybe this could be something worth looking into.

Here is a wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_bacteriotherapy

And here is a survey article from PubMed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25574083

The journal in which the survey is published is far from being among the leading journals - and I am not qualified to judge the quality of the article, but maybe there's something there. Here's the abstract:

Intestinal dysbiosis is now known to be a complication in a myriad of diseases. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), as a microbiota-target therapy, is arguably very effective for curing Clostridium difficile infection and has good outcomes in other intestinal diseases. New insights have raised an interest in FMT for the management of extra-intestinal disorders associated with gut microbiota. This review shows that it is an exciting time in the burgeoning science of FMT application in previously unexpected areas, including metabolic diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders, autoimmune diseases, allergic disorders, and tumors. A randomized controlled trial was conducted on FMT in metabolic syndrome by infusing microbiota from lean donors or from self-collected feces, with the resultant findings showing that the lean donor feces group displayed increased insulin sensitivity, along with increased levels of butyrate-producing intestinal microbiota. Case reports of FMT have also shown favorable outcomes in Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, myoclonus dystonia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. FMT is a promising approach in the manipulation of the intestinal microbiota and has potential applications in a variety of extra-intestinal conditions associated with intestinal dysbiosis.

[Nightingale]

I became fascinated with this topic two years ago when I read An Epidemic of Absence by Moises Velasquez-Manoff: http://www.moisesvm.com/

I would highly recommend it. I consider one of the best books I've ever read. Absolutely amazing. Convinced me that I should be populating my gut with quality probiotics at the least

[Quantum]

Convinced me that I should be populating my gut with quality probiotics at the least

I am taking probiotics supplementation every day - 20B a day, with mixed strains of both bifidus and lactobacillus, both being complementary in their site of action in the guts - and it has been good for me, and it is good for general health.  It improves absorption of nutriments, it is good for regularity in bowel movements, it prevents bloating and gas  ( in particular if you eat much sugar and have a sub-optimal, methane-producing flora that will produce much gas by digesting those sugars ), it helps strengthen the immune system, and science is currently finding that our flora may are far more influence than we use to think ( as the list submitted by Bluesbrother reflects... for example, there are very serious studies that found improvement in depression by supplementing a specific strain of probiotics !)

Personally, I prefer taking quality probiotics supplementation than be filled with , hmmm.... sorry, i'd rather say, than to receive a fecal transplant  ;-))))))  But if I had a bad case of clostridium difficile, I would consider it if antibiotic resistance to clindamycine and even vancomycine would happen. Fidamoxicin / Bificid is out of price.... but than, is FMT  cheaper ?  I would see, I really have no idea of the price of this new procedure.

As a side note, not all is understood yet in fecal transplant.  I have read a review, a few months ago, about a mother that had a C. difficile problem, and have received FMT from her daughter.  The mother was cured, but have always been lean, and became overweight after the FMT, while eating the same diet.... her daughter was overweight.  Will there be "fecal banks" in the future, with the health profile and characteristics of the "fecal donors", as in sperm banks?   Hmmm... Who would like to invest with me in the first ever fecal bank?   The IFB ( International Fecal Bank) ...  sounds good, doesn't it? ... the profits would finance POIS research, of course....

[BluesBrother]

I became fascinated with this topic two years ago when I read An Epidemic of Absence by Moises Velasquez-Manoff: http://www.moisesvm.com/

I would highly recommend it. I consider one of the best books I've ever read. Absolutely amazing. Convinced me that I should be populating my gut with quality probiotics at the least

Sounds like a fascinating book - I'm gonna have a look at it.

I am taking probiotics supplementation every day - 20B a day, with mixed strains of both bifidus and lactobacillus

Quantum, Nightingale, do you have a good reference where I can read more about which combination of probiotics to take? And how about prebiotics?

Personally, I prefer taking quality probiotics supplementation that be filled with , hmmm.... sorry, i'd rather say, than to receive a fecal transplant  ;-))))))  But if I had a bad case of clostridium difficile, I would consider it if antibiotic resistance to clindamycine and even vancomycine would happen. Fidamoxicin / Bificid is out of price.... but than, is FMT  cheaper ?  I would see, I really have no idea of the price of this new procedure.

I also have no idea about the availability, costs, and risks.

As a side note, not all is understood yet in fecal transplant.  I have read a review, a few months ago, about a mother that had a C. difficile problem, and have received FMT from her daughter.  The mother was cured, but have always been lean, and became overweight after the FMT, while eating the same diet.... her daughter was overweight.

I heard about this story as well. Fascinating and scary at the same time.

Will there be "fecal banks" in the future, with the health profile and characteristics of the "fecal donors", as in sperm banks?   Hmmm... Who would like to invest with me in the first ever fecal bank?   The IFB ( International Fecal Bank) ...  sounds good, doesn't it? ... the profits would finance POIS research, of course....

Interesting idea Let's do a kickstarter campaign. I'm looking forward to the inspirational video We just have to come up with a better-sounding name...

[Quantum]

Quantum, Nightingale, do you have a good reference where I can read more about which combination of probiotics to take? And how about prebiotics?

Hi BluesBrother,

You will find some basic information about probiotics here: http://www.probaclac.com/informations-us

Also, here is a study of a combination of lactobacillus and bifidus in IBS : http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2008.03848.x/abstract;jsessionid=9F95BCD8774602EE96333D54C1D8531C.f01t04


On the other hand, prebiotics are not bacteria or microorganisms like the probiotics, they are nutrients that support the growth or activity of those microorganisms that are beneficial for their host.  Example of prebiotics are inulin and FOS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructooligosaccharide ).  Prebiotics are often soluble or non-soluble fibers, that act as support for probiotics.  More details at http://www.prebiotics.us/

In my opinion, they should have chosen a different term than prebiotics for those supportive nutrients, this name being too similar to probiotics, as this can cause some confusion.

[Stef]

Hi All,

For those of you interested in keeping up with international research on the gut-brain connection, and on other current scientific literature about gut bacteria in general, here's a link to a reputable, non-profit scientific research organization -- the American Microbiome Institute -- http://www.microbiomeinstitute.org/aboutus/.

You can sign up for their news briefs about current microbiome research. Their information comes from studies conducted within the U.S. and overseas.

Stef