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Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach for dysbiosis‐related diseases. However, the clinical practice of crude fecal transplants presents limitations in terms of acceptability and reproductivity. Consequently, two alternative solutions to FMT are developed: transplanting bacteria communities or virome. Advanced methods for transplanting bacteria mainly include washed microbiota transplantation and bacteria spores treatment. Transplanting the virome is also explored, with the development of fecal virome transplantation, which involves filtering the virome from feces. These approaches provide more palatable options for patients and healthcare providers while minimizing research heterogeneity. In general, the evolution of the next generation of FMT in global trends is fecal microbiota components transplantation which mainly focuses on transplanting bacteria or virome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach for dysbiosis‐related diseases. However, the clinical practice of crude fecal transplants presents limitations in terms of acceptability and reproductivity. Consequently, two alternative solutions to FMT are developed: transplanting bacteria communities or virome. Advanced methods for transplanting bacteria mainly include washed microbiota transplantation and bacteria spores treatment. Transplanting the virome is also explored, with the development of fecal virome transplantation, which involves filtering the virome from feces. These approaches provide more palatable options for patients and healthcare providers while minimizing research heterogeneity. In general, the evolution of the next generation of FMT in global trends is fecal microbiota components transplantation which mainly focuses on transplanting bacteria or virome.

The inaugural "Microbiome for Mars" virtual workshop took place on July 13, 2020. This event assembled leaders in microbiome research and development to discuss their work and how it may relate to long-duration human space travel. The conference focused on surveying current microbiome research, future endeavors, and how this growing field could broadly impact human health and space exploration. This report summarizes each speaker's presentation in the order presented at the workshop.

Characterized by the presence of amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and neuroinflammation, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no known treatment or cure. Global disease projections warrant an urgent and rapid therapeutic for the treatment of this devastating disease. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a widely accepted and safely used treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection and other metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. FMT has also been demonstrated to be a possible AD therapeutic. We examined the potential of FMT for the treatment of AD in a robust, mouse model of the disease and report that a brief, 7-day treatment regimen demonstrated 'plaque-busting' and behavior-modifying effects in treated 5xFAD mice. Importantly, we show that donor age plays an important role in the efficacy of the treatment and these findings warrant further investigation in human trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is a potential treatment approach for many diseases. Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cancer have been proven to have a specific antagonistic relationship to FMT.Objective: This article aims to explore whether intestinal flora transplantation from cancer individuals can ameliorate cognitive impairment.Methods: Morris water maze and object recognition tests were performed to assess cognitive function after the fecal flora from tumor-bearing and WT mice were transplanted into AD mice by gavage. The effect of flora transplantation on AD was analyzed by thioflavin T staining, western blot, and 16S RNA sequencing.Results: AD mice with FMT significantly improved short-term memory level and cognitive ability compared with Tg + NaCl group. Inflammatory factors in the plasma were regulated, and Aβ plaques burden in the hippocampus and cortex were decreased. FMT in the tumor-bearing group showed a higher significant amelioration in symptoms compared to the healthy group. 16S RNA sequencing revealed that FMT treatments could reverse the increased Firmicutes and Prevotella and the decreased Bacteroidetes, Bacteroides, and Sutterella in AD mice. AD mice transplanted with tumor-bearing mice feces additionally increased the density of Oscillospira, Odoribacter, and AF12. Furthermore, the predicted functional analyses showed that the metabolism of inorganic and organic salts in the intestinal flora of AD mice was also reversed by FMT.Conclusion: Intestinal flora transplantation from tumor-bearing mice can ameliorate the cognitive impairment of AD mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterized by the presence of amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and neuroinflammation, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no known treatment or cure. Global disease projections warrant an urgent and rapid therapeutic for the treatment of this devastating disease. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a widely accepted and safely used treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection and other metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. FMT has also been demonstrated to be a possible AD therapeutic. We examined the potential of FMT for the treatment of AD in a robust, mouse model of the disease and report that a brief, 7-day treatment regimen demonstrated ‘plaque-busting’ and behavior-modifying effects in treated 5xFAD mice. Importantly, we show that donor age plays an important role in the efficacy of the treatment and these findings warrant further investigation in human trials.

There are two boundary concepts utilized in technical and professional communication (TPC) scholarship: boundary work and, to a lesser degree, boundary objects. Boundary work functions to demarcate, incorporate, and expel particular ideas, groups, and practices from a field or profession. Boundary objects enhance the capacity of ideas, practices, and theories to translate across different groups. Together, these concepts are useful to TPC scholars interested in moments of controversy. In this essay, I explore the dialectical relationship between these two concepts and apply the resulting synthesis to a contemporary case study, the use of fecal microbiota transplants. I argue that the human microbiome functions as a boundary object and opens space within medicine's own boundary work for the inclusion of fecal microbiota transplants. Together, the dialectical concepts of boundary work and boundary object create a new kind of analytic that allows TPC scholars to map boundary transformations, recognize moments for intervention, and create strategies for collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is highly effective for treating recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). CDI disproportionately affects the elderly; however, there is a paucity of data on FMT effectiveness in older adults, especially subpopulations at highest risk for CDI-related morbidity and mortality. Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of FMT for CDI in older adults. Methods: A retrospective, long-term follow-up study was performed. The high-risk subpopulation included patients who were immunocompromised, patients with inflammatory bowel disease, and patients presenting with severe or fulminant colitis. Outcome measures included primary cure rates, early (< 12 weeks) and late (> 12 weeks) recurrence rates, adverse events, and subgroup analysis of higher-risk populations. Results: Our cohort included 75 patients (72% female) with a mean age of 76.4 and Charlson comorbidity index score of 5.4. There were 34 patients in our higher-risk subpopulation as defined above with an adjusted recurrence rate of 32.1%. FMT was performed for severe or fulminant disease in 30.6% of patients with a 3-month survival rate of 73.9%. Overall, the adjusted primary cure rate was 67.2% and the adjusted CDI recurrence was 29.9% in our cohort (90% of recurrences occurred early). Most adverse events in our study were rehospitalizations for recurrent CDI. Conclusion: Compared with previous studies of FMT efficacy, our cohort had a lower primary cure rate and higher CDI recurrence rate than previously reported, likely driven by our higher-risk subpopulations. Nevertheless, FMT should be considered early to prevent progression of CDI severity and recurrence, especially in patients who present with severe and fulminant disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs) occur frequently and pose a substantial economic burden on the US healthcare system. The landscape for the treatment of CDI is evolving.Aim: To elucidate the most cost-effective strategy for managing recurrent CDI.Methods: A decision tree analysis was created from a modified third-party payer's perspective to compare the cost-effectiveness of five strategies for patients experiencing their first CDI recurrence: oral vancomycin, fidaxomicin, fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) via colonoscopy, FMT via oral capsules, and a one-time infusion of bezlotoxumab with vancomycin. Effectiveness measures were quality-adjusted life years (QALY). A willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $100,000 per QALY was set. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed.Results: Base-case analysis showed that FMT via colonoscopy was associated with the lowest cost at $5250 and that FMT via capsules was also a cost-effective strategy with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $31205/QALY. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that FMT delivered by oral capsules and colonoscopy was comparable cost-effective modalities. At its current cost and effectiveness, bezlotoxumab was not a cost-effective strategy.Conclusions: FMT via oral capsules and colonoscopy is both cost-effective strategies to treat the first recurrence of CDI. Further real-world economic studies are needed to understand the cost-effectiveness of all available strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterized by the presence of amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and neuroinflammation, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no known treatment or cure. Global disease projections warrant an urgent and rapid therapeutic for the treatment of this devastating disease. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a widely accepted and safely used treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection and other metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus. FMT has also been demonstrated to be a possible AD therapeutic. We examined the potential of FMT for the treatment of AD in a robust, mouse model of the disease and report that a brief, 7-day treatment regimen demonstrated 'plaque-busting' and behavior-modifying effects in treated 5xFAD mice. Importantly, we show that donor age plays an important role in the efficacy of the treatment and these findings warrant further investigation in human trials.

Antibiotics alter microbiota composition and increase infection susceptibility. However, the generalizable effects of antibiotics on and the contribution of environmental variables to gut commensals remain unclear. To address this, we tracked microbiota dynamics with high temporal and taxonomic resolution during antibiotic treatment in a controlled murine system by isolating variables such as diet, treatment history, and housing co-inhabitants. Human microbiotas were remarkably resilient and recovered during antibiotic treatment, with transient dominance of resistant Bacteroides and taxa-asymmetric diversity reduction. In certain cases, in vitro sensitivities were not predictive of in vivo responses, underscoring the significance of host and community context. A fiber-deficient diet exacerbated microbiota collapse and delayed recovery. Species replacement through cross housing after ciprofloxacin treatment established resilience to a second treatment. Single housing drastically disrupted recovery, highlighting the importance of environmental reservoirs. Our findings highlight deterministic microbiota adaptations to perturbations and the translational potential for modulating diet, sanitation, and microbiota composition during antibiotics. • Human microbiotas were resilient and recovered rapidly during antibiotic administration • A low-fiber diet aggravated microbiota collapse and delayed recovery from ciprofloxacin • Microbiota reprogramming and transmission conferred resilience to repeated treatment • Single housing disrupted recovery, highlighting roles of reservoirs and sanitation Ng et al. systematically compare microbiota responses to antibiotics in mice. A fiber-deficient diet or single housing aggravated otherwise rapid recovery, whereas microbiota reprogramming through repeated treatment or transmission between hosts enhanced resilience. This work highlights the translational potential for modulating diet, sanitation, and microbiota composition during antibiotic treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]