[Fecal microbiota transfer (FMT) in a patient with refractory irritable bowel syndrome]

Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder of the gastrointestinal tract with unknown etiology. Recent clinical data support a link between changes in fecal microbiota with decreased biodiversity and the development of irritable bowel syndrome. Whether these changes of the microbiota are caused by the disease or whether they develop during the course of the disease remains unclear. Several studies demonstrated that fecal microbiota transfer (FMT) successfully attenuates Clostridium difficile infection by restoring the disturbed bacterial flora of the gut and case reports suggest that FMT may relief symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Here we report a 47-year-old male patient with longstanding refractory diarrhea predominant IBS, who was successfully treated with a single FMT. The beneficial effect on the patient's symptoms was associated with changes of the stool microbiome. Post-FMT the recipient's microbiome resembled the donor's microbiome.