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How to Manipulate the Microbiota: Fecal Microbiota Transplantation

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Microbiota of the Human Body

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 902))

Abstract

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a rather straightforward therapy that manipulates the human gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota, by which a healthy donor microbiota is transferred into an existing but disturbed microbial ecosystem. This is a natural process that occurs already at birth; infants are rapidly colonized by a specific microbial community, the composition of which strongly depends on the mode of delivery and which therefore most likely originates from the mother (Palmer et al. 2007; Tannock et al. 1990). Since this early life microbial community already contains most, if not all, of the predominantly anaerobic microbes that are only found in the GI tract, it is reasonable to assume that early life colonization is the ultimate natural fecal transplantation.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all our collaborators, especially those involved in the mentioned clinical trials. This work was supported by CVON-IN CONTROL (Cardiovascular research, The Netherlands, www.cvon.eu), Spinoza Awards and Gravitation Programmes from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Dreijenplein 10, 6703, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Susana Fuentes & Willem M. de Vos

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  1. Susana Fuentes
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  2. Willem M. de Vos
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Correspondence to Susana Fuentes .

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  1. Institute of Microecology, Herborn, Germany

    Andreas Schwiertz

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Fuentes, S., de Vos, W.M. (2016). How to Manipulate the Microbiota: Fecal Microbiota Transplantation. In: Schwiertz, A. (eds) Microbiota of the Human Body. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 902. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31248-4_10

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