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There are many people who are exceptional in one way or another. But a new journal published this week suggests that even the poop we make can be extraordinary. He argues that some of us are super fecal transplant donors, with a poo that is perfect for treating digestive and intestinal problems.
Our excrements are filled to the brim with innumerable species of bacteria. The bacteria come from the gut where shit goes, a living world we call the gut microbiome. As incredible as it may seem, this microbiome helps our body digest food and stay healthy. However, the microbiome can sometimes degrade, resulting in many digestive or neurological problems. One of these problems is chronic diarrhea caused by bacterial infections. Clostridium difficile.
In recent years, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been recognized as a means of restoring a person's unbalanced microbiome (the donor's poo is usually administered by enema). When it comes to recurring It's hard the reported FMT cure rates reached 90% and above, an incredible feat considering the lack of success achieved by other treatments. This has led doctors to hope that the FMT could be a panacea for all kinds of diseases related to the intestinal microbiome, such as inflammatory bowel disease or even type 2 diabetes. But the reality has not been so encouraging. Treatment rates reported for other conditions using the FMT are not nearly as high as for recurrent cases. It's hard infection.
FMT studies for It's hard and these other conditions have spotted a particular pattern, however. Some donors appear to have a particularly good poop, with the successful treatment rates of these donors being much higher than average. This has led physicians to theorize the existence of super-donors. The new journal, published this week in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, examined these studies and tried to determine what might make these donors unique.
"We are seeing super-donor grafts achieving a clinical remission rate of up to twice the average remaining," said lead author Justin O'Sullivan, a biologist at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. in a statement. "We hope that if we can find out how this happens, then we will be able to improve the success of fecal transplantation and even test it for new conditions badociated with the microbiome such as Alzheimer's disease, Multiple sclerosis and asthma. "
Some factors have peaked among these donors. Compared to others, their poo had a strong and diverse mix of bacteria, including "key" species that help the body make important proteins or chemicals.
"In inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes, for example, key species badociated with prolonged clinical remission produce butyrate, a chemical with specialized functions in the regulation of the immune system and energy metabolism," he said. O'Sullivan. His team also found a small study in which specially selected poop, rich in bacteria called Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae, has been used successfully to treat cases of recurrent hepatic encephalopathy, a brain condition caused by toxins unfiltered by the liver, in 10 patients.
This is probably not just about bacteria. The bowels of those who undergo transplants from these super donors are often not similar, suggesting that other factors affect the quality of the transplant. The recipient's genetics, innate immune system and diet could affect this success, says O'Sullivan and his team. Even the viruses that call our intestinal bacteria home could play a role.
"These viruses could affect the survival and metabolic function of bacteria and other transplanted microbes," he said.
Until now, research on FMT in humans has been limited to small studies and trials, which makes any certainty difficult, even if super-donors are real. But things change. Last week, the National Institutes of Health announced a randomized controlled trial of FMT on recurrent treatment It's hard infection that will recruit more than 150 volunteers. Other recent studies have shown that more enjoyable transplant options, such as an oral capsule, can work as well as the more invasive enema used for transplantation.
This option, coupled with a more detailed record of those involved in these studies (donors and recipients), should make it much easier to conduct the research needed to better understand and refine fecal transplantation, said the authors.
[Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology via Frontiers]Source link
