Fecal Donations Help People With C. Diff Infections & You Might Be Able To Help

“Donating poo isn’t like giving blood. Carolyn Edelstein, head of stool donation company OpenBiome, told the New York Times in 2018, “Only about three percent make it through our screening process. We like to joke with our donors that it’s easier to get into Harvard or M.I.T. than be a stool donor.” It’s very important for the gut microbiome of donors to be just right, without anything that might cause havoc when introduced into a sick person’s colon. And for that reason, screening is very intensive — but can be very fruitful.”

A study published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology on Jan. 21 found that some people are “super poopers,” and that their poop donations could help people sick with C. diff, diabetes, or IBS, Jackie Flynn Mogensen writing for Mother Jones reports. It’s not clear what would make a “super” donor, but having a very diverse range of bacteria in the gut seems to help.”