Science of fecal microbiota transplant: From history to cutting-edge clinical practice

Table 1 Overview of faecal microbiota transplant

Aspect	Details
Definition	A medical procedure in which stool from a healthy donor is transferred into the gastrointestinal tract of a patient to restore healthy gut microbiota
Purpose	To re-establish a balanced intestinal microbiome, especially in cases of recurrent CDI
Indications	Recurrent or refractory CDI
	Investigational use in IBD, IBS, metabolic syndrome, and other microbiome-related disorders
Procedure methods	Colonoscopy
	Nasoduodenal/nasojejunal tube
	Enema
	Oral capsules (freeze-dried stool)
Donor selection	Healthy individuals screened for infectious diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, metabolic and autoimmune diseases
Mechanism of action	Introduces diverse, beneficial bacteria to outcompete pathogenic organisms, modulate immune function, and improve gut barrier function
Advantages	High cure rate for recurrent CDI (over 85%)
	Minimally invasive (in capsule form)
	Restores gut microbial diversity quickly
Risks and limitations	Risk of transmitting infections
	Unknown long-term microbiome changes
	Potential for metabolic or immune effects
	Regulatory restrictions in some countries
Recent developments	Standardized, frozen microbiota preparations
	Synthetic microbiota capsules
	Ongoing research into personalized microbiome therapy

CDI: Clostridioides difficile infection; IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease; IBS: Irritable bowel syndrome.