Our microbiome

2017-07-13 — 2024-12-28

Wherein faecal microbiota transplantation is reported as being practised in Sydney, commercial supplies of medical stool are noted, and the body is portrayed as an ecosystem whose cells and genes are largely nonhuman.

adaptive
ecology
food
gene

Human commensal microbiome (gut, sweat, etc.).

Figure 1

I’m interested in the health implications of considering your body as an ecosystem, with all the weirdness that entails. Or, if you’d like, considering us as a superorganism whose cells are 90% inhuman, and whose genes are 99% inhuman, according to the beeb.

1 The curious phenomenon of poo transplants

Sorry, Fecal Microbiota Transplants.

They are big in Sydney.

There is, of course, a company that makes medical turds, openbiome.

2 Connection to diet

See, I guess, our eating disorder.

3 References

Di Bella, Drapeau, García-Almodóvar, et al. 2013. “Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: The State of the Art.” Infectious Disease Reports.
Ekekezie, Perler, Wexler, et al. 2020. “Understanding the Scope of Do-It-Yourself Fecal Microbiota Transplant.” The American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Karimi, Shirsalimi, Hashempour, et al. 2024. “Safety and Efficacy of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) as a Modern Adjuvant Therapy in Various Diseases and Disorders: A Comprehensive Literature Review.” Frontiers in Immunology.
Yadegar, Bar-Yoseph, Monaghan, et al. 2024. “Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: Current Challenges and Future Landscapes.” Clinical Microbiology Reviews.