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Fecal Microbiota Transplants

Topic
  • Microbiology
  • Bacteria
  • Pathogens & Disease
Resource Type
  • Videos
  • Animated Shorts
Level
High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Duration
00:07:21
Favorited By
6 Users
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Description

This short video explores the science behind fecal microbiota transplants, a method of transplanting stool from healthy donors to sick patients to treat certain diseases.

A healthy intestinal tract is teeming with trillions of microbes, which generally keep us infection-free by fending off attacks from disease-causing bacteria. But sometimes, harmful bacteria like Clostridium difficile (C. diff) can grow in large numbers in the intestine, causing chronic and painful diarrhea, or even death. Doctors typically treat C diff-infected patients  with an intensive course of antibiotics, but this can weaken individuals’ gut microbiome and leave them susceptible to further infection. Some doctors are treating patients who aren’t helped by standard antibiotics with fecal transplants, which have yielded remarkable recovery rates.

This video is part of the series I Contain Multitudes, hosted by science journalist Ed Yong.

Details
Key Terms

antibiotic, colon, diarrhea, dysbiosis, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), gastrointestinal disease, health care, inflammation, medicine

Primary Literature

Youngster, Ilan, Jenny Sauk, Christina Pindar, Robin G. Wilson, Jess L. Kaplan, Mark B. Smith, Eric J. Alm et al. “Fecal Microbiota Transplant for Relapsing Clostridium difficile Infection Using a Frozen Inoculum From Unrelated Donors: A Randomized, Open-Label, Controlled Pilot Study.” Clinical Infectious Diseases 58, 11 (2014): 1515–1522. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciu135.

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level

This resource and the accompanying documents comply with accessibility standards in accordance with the final rule for Section 508 of the National Rehabilitation Act.
Version History
Date Published 03.23.18
Date Updated 03.23.18
Curriculum Connections
NGSS (2013)

HS-LS4.B

AP Biology (2019)

EVO-1, EVO-3

IB Biology (2016)

5.2, 6.3

AP Environmental Science (2013)

II.C

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1

Materials
Transcript (PDF) 410 KB
Related Science News
The Power of Poo: Why fecal transplants are now being considered for everything from obesity to autism
Tracking microbes people carry may predict future health

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