Fecal Microbiota Transplant via Endoscopic Delivering Through Small Intestine and Colon: No Difference for Crohn’s Disease

Background and Aims Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disorder associated with intestinal dysbiosis. This study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of different methods of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), a potential therapy for CD. Methods Patients with CD were randomized to receive FMT by gastroscopy or colonoscopy; a second transplantation was performed 1 week later. Patients were assessed by clinical evaluation and serum testing (at weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8) and endoscopy (8 weeks after transplantation). Fecal DNA was extracted and analyzed using the Illuminal sequencing platform. Results Of the 27 patients included in the study, clinical remission was achieved in 18 (66.7%); no significant difference was seen between the two methods. 76.9% of gastroscopy group patients and 64.3% of colonoscopy group patients experienced mild adverse events during or shortly after treatment. Microbiota diversity analyses showed that, in comparison with the donors, patients had lower operational taxonomic units (OTU; 117 vs. 258, p