When waste isn’t wasted – A summary blog
There was a time when blood transfusions were met with fear and controversy but are now considered routine. What about a stool transfusion though? Could the general population ever accept a Faecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) as normal?
FMT is the process of transplanting microbes from the gut of a healthy donor to the gut of another, to replace good bacteria that has been killed or suppressed, usually by the use of antibiotics. It is successfully used to treat Clostridium difficile (C.diff) and studies have shown that an infusion of donor faeces is actually significantly more effective in treating recurrent C.diff than the antibiotic, vancomycin. Considering a study in the U.S. showed that C.diff was linked to 29,000 deaths in 2015 and the U.K. and Canada showed similar statistics, FMT could have a huge impact on healthcare, patient safety and avoidable deaths.
Due to the ageing population and increased prevalence of chronic diseases, there has been a movement from treatment to prevention and because the gut plays a major role in keeping us healthy, probiotics are commonly recognised as a beneficial health product. Whilst probiotics can contain around 5 different strains of ‘good’ bacteria, FMT can contain an estimated 1000 different species of microbes that have the potential to infer health benefits. It’s estimated that the U.S. probiotics market is set to surpass $67bn by 2024. If the current positive growth surrounding FMT is maintained, it can be assumed that it will be part of this substantial financial market.
FMT is administered via a solution of faecal matter from a donor, into the intestinal tract of a recipient by nasoduodenal tube, colonoscopy or enema and oral capsules are available from faecal transplant clinics. Unarguably a simpler mode of administration but perhaps not any more appealing.
FMT is a crucial part of the emerging trend of creating next generation probiotics. This may mean diseases will not be primarily treated with antibiotics but by administering genetically modified microbes that would complement the health status of the host to fight infection as well as actively target certain diseases. It is known that microbiome manipulation can significantly influence health, as seen with C.diff, so once regulation has been resolved, refinement of FMT to a more targeted therapy will be the next step. The implications of FMT for patients and the health and life science industries are vast and with research showing that amongst its many benefits, it may also affect weight loss, already an industry worth over $2bn a year, this won’t be the last time you hear of FMT.
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Caroline White is a specialist Healthcare Risk Control Director at CNA Hardy and works closely with our healthcare customers to integrate risk awareness and prevention into their corporate strategy and decision making.
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