Seeking Safe Stool: Experiences from an Non-Profit Stool Bank

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an established therapy for the treatment of recurrent C. difficile infection (rCDI). FMT has already advanced significantly from a DIY therapy using minimally screened individual donors to a highly standardized process, using universal donors subject to rigorous screening.

As an example of this transformation, OpenBiome, the world's largest non-profit public stool bank, has delivered over 55,000 treatments for rCDI to over 1,300 hospitals in 7 countries, with less than 3% of prospective donors passing the 200-point clinical assessment and 30-item laboratory screening panel required for enrollment. OpenBiome also support clinical trials of FMT in other disease indications including inflammatory bowel disease, antibiotic resistant infections, and autoimmune diseases.