Abstract
A dangerous gut disorder is on the rise, and a handful of doctors say that we might be flushing the most effective treatment down the toilet. The procedure they advocate involves transplanting a healthy person's feces into a sick person's colon. Although the approach has shown some promising results, critics worry about unintended consequences—not to mention the 'yuck' factor for patients. Roxanne Palmer reports.
References
Dolgin, E. Nat. Med. 17, 10 (2011).
Eiseman, B., Silen, W., Bascom, G.S. & Kauvar, A.J. Surgery 44, 854–859 (1958).
Bowden, T.A., Mansberger, A.R. & Lykins, L.E. Am. Surg. 47, 178–183 (1981).
Grehan, M.J. et al. J. Clin. Gastroenterol. 44, 551–561 (2010).
Yoon, S.S. & Brandt, L.J. J. Clin. Gastroenterol. 44, 562–566 (2010).
Rohlke, F., Surawicz, C.M. & Stollman, N. J. Clin. Gastroenterol. 44, 567–570 (2010).
Floch, M.H. J. Clin. Gastroentrol. 44, 529–530 (2010).
Borody, T.J., Warren, E.F., Leis, S., Surace, R. & Ashman, O. J. Clin. Gastroenterol. 37, 42–47 (2003).
Tvede, M. & Rask-Madsen, J. Lancet 333, 1156–1160 (1989).
Khoruts, A., Dicksved, J., Jansson, J.K. & Sadowsky, M.J. J. Clin. Gastroenterol. 44, 354–360 (2010).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Palmer, R. Fecal matters. Nat Med 17, 150–152 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0211-150
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0211-150
- Springer Nature America, Inc.
This article is cited by
-
Fecal microbiota transplantation in childhood: past, present, and future
World Journal of Pediatrics (2023)
-
IBD and the Gut Microbiota—from Bench to Personalized Medicine
Current Gastroenterology Reports (2015)
-
Temporal Bacterial Community Dynamics Vary Among Ulcerative Colitis Patients After Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
American Journal of Gastroenterology (2013)