Faecal microbiota transplantation for irritable bowel syndrome

Xu, 2019Myneedu, 2019Green, 2020El-Salhy, 2020Aroniadis, 2019Johnsen, 2020Lahtinen, 2020

Modification of the intestinal microbiota with faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is of interest as a potential therapeutic target for IBS. However, at present there is no clinically useful way of identifying whether the gut microbiota is disturbed in patients with IBS, and studies to support the efficacy of FMT have produced inconsistent results. Also, there is uncertainty about the mechanism of action, best method of delivery and donor selection. At the time of writing there are insufficient clinical data to recommend use of FMT in patients with IBS.