Potential Feasibility and Perspectives of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Restoring Gut Function in Giant Pandas

Although the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) relies almost exclusively on bamboo, its carnivore-like gastrointestinal tract has limited capacity for fiber digestion. The gut microbiota contributes to bamboo-derived nutrient utilization, although the extent of this contribution remains limited. Captivity-associated dietary and environmental changes frequently disrupt this microbial ecosystem, resulting in impaired digestive function and reduced physiological resilience. Conventional interventions, including antibiotics and single-strain probiotics, are generally insufficient to restore the complexity and stability of the gut microbiota. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which reconstructs the gut microbial ecosystem by transferring an intact microbial community, has demonstrated therapeutic potential in humans and various animal models. However, its feasibility in giant pandas remains unclear because their short intestinal tract, absence of fermentation chambers, rapid gastrointestinal transit, and host-mediated ecological filtering substantially limit donor microbiota engraftment. This review evaluates the biological rationale and technical feasibility of oral FMT in giant pandas by integrating evidence from gastrointestinal physiology, microbial ecology, and conservation medicine. This review identifies the principal barriers to microbial engraftment. It synthesizes a giant panda-specific framework from the available literature, encompassing function-oriented donor selection, optimized microbial delivery strategies, and multidimensional efficacy assessment. Collectively, this synthesis provides a theoretical foundation for future FMT research in giant pandas and offers a conceptual reference for microbiota-based interventions in the conservation of endangered wildlife.