The History of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is the transfer of intestinal microbiota from a healthy donor to a recipient who has a certain disease with the intention of treating that disease.1 Today, this concept is based on the knowledge that certain diseases are associated with an altered intestinal microbiome and the observation that restoration of a balanced, healthy intestinal microbiome may result in cure (eg, Clostridioides difficile infection [CDI]) or improvement of disease (eg, inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] or irritable bowel syndrome). The use of feces to treat a variety of ailments goes back more than 1000 years, but only recently has it gained recognition in humans as a potential treatment for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases and, perhaps, for some non-GI diseases as well. This chapter reviews the history and evolution of FMT.