Fecal transplant could be a cure for COVID-19: what is it and how is it done
Fecal transplants are an unusual branch of medicine. Known as an IStool transplant, or fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), it aims to boost the body's immune response by introducing a healthy set of microbes into the gut microbiome. One method of treatment is by ingesting capsules containing frozen and dried fecal microbiota obtained from a healthy donor or several healthy donors. Edition IFL Science talked about how this method can be used to treat COVID-19.
Donors are usually people with whom you live in close proximity, as their gut microbiome will be armed with all the beneficial bacteria suitable for your particular habitat. They are given as a means of increasing immunity, often after the intestines have lost beneficial bacteria due to illness or as a result of taking drugs that are unsuitable for the microflora, such as antibiotics.
However, it recently emerged that FMTs could play a role in the fight against COVID-19 as researchers are already planning clinical trials. The new approach is based on two reports of patients who contracted a gastrointestinal illness as well as COVID-19. They each received a faecal transplant, and soon after, the symptoms of both diseases quickly disappeared.
The first case occurred in an 80-year-old man who was battling recurrent Clostridioides difficile and later died of pneumonia as well as symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. The swab confirmed that the patient was positive and was therefore treated with remdesivir and plasma containing antibodies to SARS-CoV2. He also underwent a fecal transplant to combat recurrent C. difficile.
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Surprisingly, shortly after the transplant, the patient's COVID-19 symptoms quickly disappeared, and although other treatments were prescribed, any of them are not currently believed to be effective in speeding up the recovery period from the disease.
In the second case, a 19-year-old patient suffered from ulcerative colitis and was treated with immunosuppressants. He also had recurring episodes of C. difficile, so he was prescribed antibiotics and fecal transplants. Shortly thereafter, the patient developed symptoms of COVID-19 and a test confirmed that he was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, the symptoms disappeared without any treatment.
In both cases, doctors were able to rule out that patients were infected with SARS-CoV-2 via fecal transplants, since they were tested for the virus before administration. Surprisingly, both patients had risk factors for developing severe symptoms of COVID-19, but neither of them got sick.
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“One possible explanation is that fecal transplantation mitigates poorer outcomes, potentially through effects on the microbiome-immune system,” the authors said in a statement.
The findings are by no means conclusive, as it cannot be confirmed that fecal tablets were a decisive factor in reducing the severity of their illness and their recovery. Nonetheless, the researchers believe this is a worthy area of study. They also rely on a lot of research into the benefits of this unusual therapy in treating other conditions.
“Our main conclusion from these cases is that fecal transplantation appears to be safe and of comparable effectiveness in treating recurrent C. difficile infection in patients with coexisting COVID-19,” they wrote. “These data suggest that manipulation of the gut microbiome may require further investigation as an immunomodulatory strategy for COVID-19.”
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