Microbiota and faecal microbiota transplant

Abstract

As the range of disease states associated with the gut microbiome expands – and the mechanistic links between the gut microbiome and host physiology further deepens – so interest also grows in microbiome manipulation as medical therapy. In particular, bolstered by its established role in recurrent C. difficile infection (and promising results in other conditions), faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) has remained of growing global focus. This article reviews the key FMT-based studies published between April 2020-March 2021. While the COVID-19 pandemic was the dominant challenge of the year, important FMT trials of interest were published for patients with a range of different conditions. The emergence of ‘next generation’ microbiome therapeutics offers an additional perspective and new opportunities within the field.

Keywords

• gut microbiome
• faecal microbiota transplant
• antibiotic resistance
• clostridioides difficile infection
• inflammatory bowel disease
• irritable bowel syndrome
• obesity
• immune checkpoint inhibitors.