How eating sh*t can be good for you

M

maxg

Registered Senior Member
Here's the newspaper story background

Ethel McEwan, an 83-year-old from Guardbridge, Fife, was near death after contracting Clostridium Difficile, the Daily Record reported.

But she was saved after receiving a "faecal transplant" from her daughter, Winnifred.

The treatment involves liquidising a sample of faeces from a close relative of the patient, and feeding the liquid down a tube into the stomach.

The treatment restores the bacteria to levels at which they help the recovery process.
Click to expand...

from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2007/11/26/nbug126.xml

Now I understand what they did and I understand why they did it, but why did they need feces from a close relation? Is the content of fecal bacteria that different between people who aren't related?
 
This is preliminary research, but we have a microbial fingerprint where colonic bateria are concerned, be interesting if it was genetic?

As for the daughter, I'm guessing because she was there.
 
Eww, I don't know. At 83, do I really want a fecal transplant?
But I suppose if I refused it, I would be a greedy mother abandoning my child, so get that poop in my mouth!! ;)
 
From a microbial standpoint, it makes some sense. recolonizing human flora would prevent against pathogenic invasion. Our internal microflora live better in us than pathogens, so pathogens cant find a place to stay.
 
corrections: its enema, so no eating. And not to stomach but intestine.

It is more fun for a lab tech who prepares this s**t rather then a patient: need to first screen it under microscope to check for right bacteria content and then mix it in a blander. "S**t hits a fan" gets new meaning.
 
This is the same reason why dogs eat the lower intestines of their prey (and domesticated ones like the litter box), it replenishes their intestinal fauna.
 
spidergoat said:
This is the same reason why dogs eat the lower intestines of their prey (and domesticated ones like the litter box), it replenishes their intestinal fauna.
Click to expand...
Not exactly the same reason. Canis species have extremely short intestines, so they need the help of bacteria to digest their food. Notice that this correlates with domestic dogs that are fed cheap commercial food containing a lot of preservatives. The preservatives sterilize their intestine.

Humans have the same problem after massive doses of antibiotics. It's common for doctors to advise their patients to eat yogurt if their digestion seems to not be working right in these cases. This will also work with a dog if it's a temporary problem. But if he has the problem all the time, it's best to look for a dietary cause and solve it.

However, since dogs have to have the instinct to eat stool to survive, they obviously have a taste for it and just might eat it anyway.
Orleander said:
?? even if its the scat of another species??
Click to expand...
Yes. This isn't the same phenomenon of a human needing a symbiotic anti-pathogen culture that's been proven to be compatible with the physiology of a close relative. Dogs just need bacteria to break down their food.

Most grazing animals also need bacteria to live, since the cellulose in most plant tissue is extremely sturdy and resists digestion. The ruminants (a suborder of "artiodactyls" or mammals with even-toed hooves including cattle, sheep, giraffes, deer, camels, antelopes and other familiar grazers) have four-chambered stomachs. One chamber contains a bacterial culture which feeds on the cellulose and reproduces--essentially converting fiber to protein the old-fashioned way. The next chamber has enzymes to digest the excess bacteria, which have conveniently converted the cellulose into tissue that can now be broken down.
 
Fraggle Rocker said:
Not exactly the same reason. Canis species have extremely short intestines, so they need the help of bacteria to digest their food. Notice that this correlates with domestic dogs that are fed cheap commercial food containing a lot of preservatives. The preservatives sterilize their intestine.
Click to expand...

What about other pet animals, like cats and fish (I'm not sure about birds)?
Do they get such problems as well?

Thanks for the reply.
 
Have those people ever heard of "probiotics"?

You don't need to eat poop. You can take pills that contain good bacteria for your digestive system.

Silly people... :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top