Strange findings from more than 300 human fecal transplants

The scientists used data from more than 300 transplants of human fecal microbiota to understand from an ecological perspective what happens

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is the transfer of lower intestinal fluid and microbes from one person

A team of scientists led by Bork's team at heidelberg's European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), and their collaborators in the Netherlands and Australia, have now raised an intriguing question with this unusual medical procedure – what happens when the two gut microbiota are mixed together?

The answer to this question may provide clues

Transplanted microorganisms

Although clinical trials have demonstrated that FMTs can be effective in treating certain intestinal disorders, their mode of action remains unclear

"The 'super donor' hypothesis is widely accepted among practitioners: it assumes that finding 'good' donors is key to clinical success for FMTs, and that a good donor will work for many different patients," Sebastian Schmidt said

However, using clinical and metagenomic data from more than 300 FMTs, the scientists found that it is the receptor rather than the donor that determines the microbial mix

The team developed a machine learning method to analyze the factors that determine microbial dynamics after FMTs, including the presence or absence

An ecological experiment

Simone Li, another first author of the study and the 2016 study, thinks their results are interesting

If the researchers think of the FMTs process as an ecological experiment, replacing entire microbial ecosystems with new locations in existing ecosystems, they can draw important conclusions about which factors help determine how well or easily bacteria "settle" in their new

Peer Bork, corresponding author of the study, notes that this could also have important practical applications

Although the study focused on bacteria and archaea, which together make up more than 90 percent of the gut microbiome, the scientists expect that future studies may also include data on fungi, other eukaryotes, and viruses to gain a more comprehensive view

"I hope (and am confident) that our findings will help design more effective FMTs schemes

References: Drivers and Determinants of Strain Dynamics Following Fecal Microbiota Transplantation