Dynamic Colonization of Microbes and Their Functions after Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Nathaniel D. Chu, Jessica W. Crothers, Le T. T. Nguyen, Sean M. Kearney, Mark Smith, Zain Kassam, Cheryl Collins, Ramnik J. Xavier, Peter L. Moses, Eric J. Alm
Abstract
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)-transferring fecal microbes from a healthy donor to a sick patient-has shown promise for gut diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease. Unlike pharmaceuticals, however, fecal transplants are complex mixtures of living organisms, which must then interact with the microbes and immune system of the recipient. We sought to understand these interactions by tracking the microbes of 12 inflammatory bowel disease patients who received fecal transplants for 12 weeks. We uncovered a range of dynamics. For example, one patient experienced successful transfer of donor bacteria, only to lose them after 10 weeks. We similarly evaluated transfer of microbial functions, including how they interacted with the recipient's immune system. Our findings shed light on the colonization dynamics of gut microbes, as well as their functions in the context of FMT-information that may provide a critical foundation for the development of more-targeted therapeutics.