Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

IBS

Faecal microbiota transplantation in IBS — new evidence for success?

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) aims to restore an altered microbiota and has been suggested as a potential treatment option for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), among other diseases. A new study suggests that the use of a so-called superdonor is necessary to successfully treat patients with IBS using FMT.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. König, J. et al. Consensus report: faecal microbiota transfer - clinical applications and procedures. Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 45, 222–239 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. El-Salhy, M., Hatlebakk, J. G., Gilja, O. H., Brathen Kristoffersen, A. & Hausken, T. Efficacy of faecal microbiota transplantation for patients with irritable bowel syndrome in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Gut https://doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2019-319630 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Johnsen, P. H. et al. Faecal microbiota transplantation versus placebo for moderate-to-severe irritable bowel syndrome: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, single-centre trial. Lancet Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 3, 17–24 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Halkjaer, S. I. et al. Faecal microbiota transplantation alters gut microbiota in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: results from a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled study. Gut 67, 2107–2115 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Holster, S. et al. The effect of allogenic versus autologous fecal microbiota transfer on symptoms, visceral perception and fecal and mucosal microbiota in irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized controlled study. Clin. Transl Gastroenterol. 10, e00034 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Aroniadis, O. C. et al. Faecal microbiota transplantation for diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 4, 675–685 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Kootte, R. S. et al. Improvement of insulin sensitivity after lean donor feces in metabolic syndrome is driven by baseline intestinal microbiota composition. Cell Metab. 26, 611–619.e6 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Moayyedi, P. et al. Fecal microbiota transplantation induces remission in patients with active ulcerative colitis in a randomized controlled trial. Gastroenterology 149, 102–109.e6 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Wilson, B. C., Vatanen, T., Cutfield, W. S. & O’Sullivan, J. M. The super-donor phenomenon in fecal microbiota transplantation. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 9, 2 (2019).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert Jan Brummer.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

König, J., Brummer, R.J. Faecal microbiota transplantation in IBS — new evidence for success?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 17, 199–200 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-020-0282-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-020-0282-z

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing