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Therapeutic Evaluation of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in an Interleukin 10-Deficient Mouse Model
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Microbiota-targeted therapies on the intensive care unit
Bastiaan W Haak1, Marcel Levi, W Joost Wiersinga
1aCenter for Experimental and Molecular Medicine bDepartment of Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands cUniversity College London Hospitals, London, UK.
Current Opinion in Critical Care
|January 17, 2017
Summary
Critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) experience gut microbiota disruptions. Microbiota-targeted therapies, like probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation, show promise but require further research for improved patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Critical care medicine
- Translational medicine
Background:
- Critically ill patients in the ICU exhibit significant alterations in gut, skin, and other microbiotas.
- These microbial disruptions are linked to adverse patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current and emerging studies on microbiota-targeted therapeutics in the ICU.
- To provide recommendations for future research directions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of new and ongoing studies.
- Analysis of existing data on microbiota modulation in critically ill patients.
Main Results:
- ICU interventions and critical illness profoundly impact the gut microbiota.
- Probiotics show efficacy in treating ventilator-associated pneumonia.
- Fecal microbiota transplantation has been safely performed in the ICU.
- Data on microbiota-targeted therapies in this population remain limited, with few ongoing studies.
Conclusions:
- Significant progress has been made in characterizing the ICU gut microbiome.
- Preclinical data highlight the potential of microbiota-targeted therapies.
- Further research is needed to understand dysbiosis and its impact on ICU outcomes.
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