Could Poop Transplants Revolutionize Medicine?

According to researcher James Kinross, a faecal transplant could, for example, help with diseases such as Alzheimer’s, intestinal disorders and rheumatism. The list is even much longer. The efficacy is currently being investigated, but some success has already been achieved.

Gorilla’s

In the Netherlands, too, research is being done into poop as a medicine. Remco Kort of Artis zoo, for example, has studied gorillas that eat their own poop. “A gorilla was on antibiotics, but that didn’t go well and the animal remained at a low weight.”

Kort continues: “They then administered poop from another gorilla. That had to be mixed a bit. After that, the gorilla quickly recovered.”

Treatment with poop

In the Netherlands, people are already being given poop. That still happens with only one condition, called the C. Difficile infection. This is an infection that can cause diarrhea, among other things. This is caused by people using a lot of antibiotics that wipe out the intestinal flora. “A faecal transplant has been proven effective for the C.Diff infection,” says Liz Terveer, medical microbiologist at the LUMC.

Our poop contains a healthy intestinal flora. “Think of healthy bacteria, parasites and fungi that work together as an entire ecosystem. That ecosystem can support important processes in the body.”

Parkinson

According to British researcher Kinross, a faecal transplant could also be beneficial for certain brain disorders. Terveer explains, “There’s a lot of interaction between your brain and your gut.” Research is currently underway into the link between intestinal flora and Parkinson’s disease. “Your intestinal flora has a great effect on processes in your body, also outside the intestines. Gut flora can therefore also have a positive effect on the brain.”

The medical microbiologist continues: “We often see a disturbed intestinal flora in people with certain brain diseases, but we do not know whether this is caused by the disease.” It can of course also be the other way around, that the disease arises from a disturbed intestinal flora. “Then the question is: can we still treat it?”

Poop through a probe

If that is the case, then such a poop transplant is not yet possible with a pill. “We administer the poop with a tube. It goes through the nose and through the stomach to the first part of the small intestine.” It is essential that the faeces reach the intestines in one piece. “The stomach kills most of the bacteria that should end up in the intestines.”

Isn’t that possible with a capsule? Well, you often take a pill orally and then it ends up in your stomach. That is why the capsule must be made in such a way that it remains intact until it reaches your intestines. And that requires some development.

And there is another obstacle that makes the pooppill a little while longer. “A pill is processed a bit more. Some substances don’t survive that,” says Terveer.

Screen donors

What is also very important is that the donor who gives the faeces is properly screened. Of course, it should not contain any harmful substances. “It is important that the screening is done through a reputable stool bank, otherwise it can be dangerous.”