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Faecal microbial transplantation (FMT), in which stool samples are transferred from a healthy intestine to the large intestine of another, have in the past led some impressive medical results.
Researchers have seen promising signs of their ability, irritable bowel syndrome, the disease Crohn and even early Parkinson’s (although this advantage seemed to be short -lived) and other neurological problems.
It has a success rate of 90% for the treatment of C.Diff, a bacterium in connection with diarrhea, the BBC reported.
However, a new study published in the journal cells has raised questions about the long-term security of FMT treatments, which indicates that a bacterial “bad pairing” can cause problems with the immune system and metabolism of the patient in the whole line.
Why do the researchers believe that faecal transplants can influence the immune system and metabolism?
The scientists only found the connection in mice and could not say how the changes they experienced in the animals could manifest themselves in humans.
They gave mice antibiotics to interrupt the normal microbiome of their intestine, and then treated them with FMT and monitored them for one to three months.
The intestinal bacteria often ended up in the wrong part of the intestine – “regional mismatches” – that seemed to disturb the intestine.
After taking biopsies of the liver and intestine, the scientists found that some genes, especially those that were related to the immune system and the metabolism, had changed.
In an interview with the University of Chicago, the senior author of the study, researcher Orlando “Landon” Deleon said: “I think it is a wake -up call to the area that we may not bring the large intestinal microbes into different parts of the intestine that shouldn’t be there.
“There are microbes along the entire intestinal tract, and we mostly study the last third of it (large intestine),” he added. “So how can you expect an FMT to repair the rest of the intestine with microbes from a third of the intestinal tract?”
Does that definitely mean that FMTS are bad?
No. This study was carried out on mice that have different anatomies from us; Although the scientists found genetic changes in the liver and intestine, they are not yet sure how these changes could even affect the mouse, no matter, we cannot have an impact.
However, the researchers of the study still think that it is a good idea to follow “Omni-microbial transplants” or OMT and write in their article: “Regional microbial false pairings according to FMTS can lead to unintentional consequences and to rethink microbi-base interventions.”
Omts would include more bacteria from a larger area of the intestine and theoretically increase the likelihood that the right ones will go to the right place.
