Research sheds light on how fecal transplants improve gut health
· News-MedicalIn a novel study that identified male chromosome genetic material in the intestines of female patients undergoing fecal transplants, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have significantly expanded scientific understanding of how some of these transplants may succeed and work.
Fecal microbiota transplant, or FMT, is a procedure in which stool from healthy donors is transplanted via colonoscopy into the bowels of people with dangerous and recurrent infections caused by a bacterium called Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile). Many previous studies show that the transplanted fecal material from healthy donors restores the balance of good bacteria that are markers of a healthy gut in people whose recurrent C.difficile infections have been treated with heavy duty antibiotics that wipe out "good" bacteria as well as bad.
Recurrent C. difficile infection is an often debilitating condition marked by severe diarrhea and inflammation of the colon. Researchers say the infections are notoriously difficult to treat, with conventional antibiotic therapies often failing to provide long-term relief and cure of the infection.
Sudhir Dutta, M.D., lead author, clinical gastroenterologist and a researcher with the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineOur study suggests the possibility of donor intestinal epithelial cell transfer during fecal microbiota transplant, rather than the mere transfer of bacteria from donor fecal samples, can be more effective."
"The long-term detection of the Y chromosome suggests that, in addition to the intestinal microbiota restoration, FMT may facilitate epithelial repair in the gut lining resulting in the altered milieu of the intestinal ecosystem. These observations open up a deeper understanding of the mechanism by which FMT works," says Sandeep Verma, M.D., a research and clinical fellow with the division of gastroenterology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Our research points to a much more complex interaction between the donor microbiome and the recipient's gut environment than previously reported."
"Understanding the role of donor-derived cells in gut healing could potentially lead to new treatments that go beyond microbial restoration and target the epithelial structure itself," Verma added.
The study was supported by the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, the James and Carolyn Frenkil Foundation, the Eric Cowan Fund, and Friedman & Friedman, LLP. It was conducted at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and results were analyzed at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
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