De Bruijn C. & Benninga M.: faecal transplantation

Todays guests are Prof Marc Benninga and Dr Klaartje de Bruijn, both of Amsterdam’s Academisch Medisch Centrum. Prof Benninga is visiting these podcasts for a second time ; Dr de Bruijn is facing her baptism of fire. Their topic? Shudder and thrill – faecal transplantation. In 2020 their group published a protocol for faecal transplantation in adolescents with refractory irritable-bowel syndrome (PMID : 32864480), midway through the study described. In nuce : Healthy- donor stool or recipient’s own stool, delivered by nasoduodenal sonde immediately after irrigating the bowel clean from above, two doses six weeks apart ; both clinical well-being and stool microbiome assessed ; one-year follow-up. At the annual meeting of ESPGHAN in Vienna this May Dr de Bruijn presented study results : Thirty recipients of healthy-donor stool felt better and experienced shifts in stool microbiome, changes that persisted throughout the year of follow-up. In effect, if this were a field-hockey match, the Dutch national team against irritable-bowel syndrome, we would all now be screaming Gooooooaaaaaalllllll! (Those who heard Prof Benninga’s initial contribution know that his love for field hockey is rabid – well, so is Dr de Bruijn’s) Listen, and follow Prof Benninga and Dr de Bruijn as they swap the informational ball back and forth, bringing it downfield despite Alex’s rhetorical backsticks, foot-advancing, and, yes, even high- sticks, to notch up a fantastic win – score – goooaaallll!