Fecal Transplants- Mechanisms Benefits and Potential Impacts on Health Issues Fecal Transplants
A fecal transplant involves transplanting fecal matter from a healthy human donor to the recipient’s body to help grow healthful bacteria that can treat some conditions (Choi & Cho, 2016). The human gut has multiple bacteria, and when there is an imbalance in these bacteria, an individual can develop intestinal problems and diarrhea. The antibiotics used to treat gut infections can also kill helpful bacteria. Before the procedure starts, a physician will screen the donors to ensure the fecal matter has no diseases (Choi & Cho, 2016). They will be screened for conditions such as hepatitis. The donor feces can be delivered to the recipient through an enema or a colonoscope. Patients are given sedatives before the fecal transplant to ensure they do not feel pain during the procedure. Fecal transplant procedures are safe and sterile and have the potential for multiple applications in modern medicine.
Fecal transplant is primarily used to treat C. difficile-associated infections. These infections cause severe colon inflammation, which results in death. Research from multiple studies has revealed that fecal transplants effectively manage this condition (Hourigan et al., 2019). It reduces bowel movements and improves the health of recipients. Fecal transplants can also be recommended to treat other gut conditions. Problems linked to gut bacteria can result in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or worsen it. Research studies have revealed that fecal transplants can help manage IBD. However, the efficacy of fecal transplants in this condition varies among the studies. The success rate of fecal transplants in clinical studies ranged from 36.2% to 77.8% (Choi & Cho, 2016). More research is thus required in this area.
Research on the role of fecal transplants is still being done. If gut bacteria impact individual health, fecal transplants can treat many conditions, such as dementia, diabetes, obesity, depression, and arthritis (Choi & Cho, 2016).
References
Choi, H. H., & Cho, Y. (2016). Fecal microbiota transplantation: Current applications, effectiveness, and future perspectives. Clinical Endoscopy, 49(3), 257-265. https://doi.org/10.5946/ce.2015.117
Hourigan, S. K., Ahn, M., Gibson, K. M., Pérez-Losada, M., Felix, G., Weidner, M., Leibowitz, I., Niederhuber, J. E., Sears, C. L., Crandall, K. A., & Oliva-Hemker, M. (2019). Fecal transplant in children with Clostridioides difficile gives a sustained reduction in antimicrobial resistance and potential pathogen burden. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 6(10). https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/