New science

A healthy microbiome that’s filled with good bacteria is one thing, but when bad bugs take over it can be very debilitating.

Our gut may be filled with good bacteria but sometimes baddies take over, such as Clostridium difficile which can cause severe diarrhoea and inflammation. Researchers have come up with a treatment for this debilitating condition, which may not sound pleasant but it seems to get results – poo transplants. Faecal microbial therapy, or faecal transplants (the transfer of a sample from a healthy donor to a recipient) have typically shown a 90 per cent success rate in treating this condition. Research suggests that transplants are particularly successful in this instance because C difficile is the result of significantly reduced micriobiota, so introducing new organisms fills up what is basically an empty gut. Other conditions related to the gut are more complicated, involving an environment filled with different bacteria, and so the use of transplants is not as clear.