Faecal microbiota transplantation: what's beyond Clostridium difficile infection?

Over the last decade, major advancements have been made in our understanding of both the beneficial and detrimental role that microorganisms play in our innate functioning. Research into the intestinal microbiota has moved from the laboratory into our medical clinics and is being put forth as an effective therapy for a range of medical conditions, not only limited to the gastrointestinal system. The clearest example of this progression has been in the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection; however, faecal microbiota transplantation has also been shown to have a positive effect in the treatment of inflammatory disorders, such as ulcerative colitis. In this review article, we will appraise the existing literature examining the role the intestinal microbiota plays in the pathogenesis of disease and the therapeutic utility of faecal microbiota transplantation in restoring homeostasis. In many cases, these studies are in a preclinical setting, are small in scale and often are not placebo-controlled; however, the results from these studies report interesting associations between intestinal dysbiosis and disease development, as well as the beneficial effects of faecal microbiota transplantation in reversing this process.