Faecal transplant reduces peanut allergy in some adults

3 min read

Researchers reported on 5 August in Science Translational Medicine that a faecal transplant pill containing gut bacteria from healthy donors allowed six of 15 highly peanut-allergic adults to tolerate larger amounts of peanut protein four months later. Before treatment, participants reacted to less than 100 mg of peanut protein; after treatment one person tolerated 300 mg and five tolerated 600 mg or more. Most participants took 36 pills in a single day and no severe side effects occurred. Mouse experiments using donor bacteria reproduced protection against a different food allergen, suggesting potential broader applicability but variable human response.

Faecal transplant enabled six of 15 participants to tolerate peanuts.