Should the Faecal Microbiota Composition Be Determined to Certify a Faecal Donor?

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Gastroenterology
• Infectious diseases

Background:

• Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a proven therapy for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection.
• Donor selection for FMT is rigorous, focusing on lifestyle and pathogen absence, but lacks defined
• healthy
• microbiota criteria.
• Current FMT donor certification does not mandate microbiota composition analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utility of 16S rDNA sequencing for analyzing microbiota composition in certified FMT donors.
• To determine if microbiota analysis can enhance the donor selection process for FMT.

Main Methods:

• Collected and sequenced 16S rDNA from 10 certified FMT donors.
• Utilized Microbiome Analyst for alpha (Chao1, Shannon) and beta (Bray-Curtis) diversity analyses.
• Evaluated differences in microbial composition at phyla and genera levels.

Main Results:

• Most donors showed similar microbial diversity and richness via alpha diversity metrics.
• Beta diversity analysis revealed significant inter-donor variations in microbial composition.
• Predominant phyla were Bacillota and Bacteroidota; Actinomycota and Pseudomonota varied among donors.
• A core microbiome of specific genera (e.g., Agathobacter, Akkermansia) was identified across donors.

Conclusions:

• Microbiota composition is unique to each FMT donor and may not be a primary criterion for certification.
• Establishing clear criteria for a
• healthy
• microbiota remains challenging.
• Donor certification should prioritize clinical health and lifestyle factors over detailed microbiota profiling.