Bacteriotherapy

Bacteriotherapy is the purposeful use of bacteria or their products to treat an illness. Its forms include the use of probiotics, microorganisms that provide health benefits when consumed; fecal matter transplants, also called intestinal microbiota transplants, in which gut microorganisms are transferred from the fecal matter of healthy donors to recipient patients to restore the gut microbiota; and synbiotics, which combine prebiotics that promote the growth of beneficial microorganisms with probiotics themselves. Through these methods, the community of microorganism species that lives in the digestive tract and aids digestion, energy storage, immune function and protection against pathogens can be recolonized with favorable bacteria, producing a therapeutic effect.