Human microbiome: From the bathroom to the bedside

Table 1 The Israel Ministry of Health protocol for donor screening for fecal microbial transplantation

Patient eligibility for FMT

1 Questionnaire to exclude potentially transmissible diseases

(1) Practices protected sexual intercourse (or in a monogamous relationship with a healthy partner)

(2) Has not had tattooing in the previous six months

(3) Does not have any known infectious diseases

(4) No drug abuse

(5) Has not travelled to the Far-East, India, Africa, Central or South America within the previous six months

(6) Has no known autoimmune disease

(7) There is no history of any gastrointestinal disease, including inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease or irritable bowel disease

(8) Has not had any previous bowel resection

(9) There is no history of infectious diarrhea in the previous 12 mo

(10) Has not received antibiotic therapy in the previous 2 mo

2 Laboratory tests

(1) Negative stool culture

(2) Negative stool microscopy, including Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Isospora beli

(3) Negative Clostridium difficile toxin

(4) Negative serological testing for HIV, HBV, HCV, HAV, VDRL, CMV

(5) Negative test for Helicobacter pylori (either C13 urea breath testing, stool antigen or serum antibodies)

FMT: Fecal microbial transplantation. HCV: Hepatitis C virus; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; CMV: Cucumber mosaic virus; VDRL: Venereal disease research laboratory; HIV: Human immunodeficiency virus.