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Fecal Transplants: What Is Being Transferred?
Diana P Bojanova1, Seth R Bordenstein1,2
1Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Plos Biology
|July 13, 2016
Summary
Fecal transplants involve more than just bacteria. Non-bacterial components like viruses, fungi, and colonocytes in stool may also influence recipient biology, requiring further research.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Gastroenterology
- Immunology
Background:
- Fecal transplants are a common treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infections.
- They are also used in animal models for gain-of-function studies.
- Current understanding attributes observed changes in recipients solely to bacterial cells in donor feces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the literature on fecal matter composition.
- To highlight the multifaceted nature of fecal matter beyond bacteria.
- To cautiously propose that non-bacterial components may influence recipient biology.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of fecal matter composition studies.
- Analysis of reported quantities of various fecal components.
- Synthesis of findings to assess the potential impact of non-bacterial matter.
Main Results:
- Fecal matter contains not only bacteria but also colonocytes, archaea, viruses, fungi, protists, and metabolites.
- Viable bacteria may constitute a small fraction of the total fecal matter.
- Significant quantities of non-bacterial components are present per gram of wet stool.
Conclusions:
- Non-bacterial components of fecal matter could contribute to observed biological changes in transplant recipients.
- This contribution is speculative and depends on the transplant procedure and study system.
- Further research employing reductionist approaches is needed to isolate the effects of each fecal component.
