Fecal Transplant Pills Used in a Clinical Trial to Help People with Peanut Allergy

Poop transplant pills, also called poop pills or fecal transplant pills, were used on adults with peanut allergies as part of a small yet new clinical trial in the United States.

The trial found that some adults were able to eat small amounts of peanuts after swallowing pills containing bacteria from human waste.

The clinical trial was presented during the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) in Phoenix, Arizona, on Feb. 26.

The clinical experiment used the so-called fecal microbiota transplant approach, which aim to help people allergic to peanuts and other foods.

Potential Cure for Food Allergy

(Photo : Omar Torres/AFP via Getty Images)

According to Science News, the experiment involved a one-day treatment for trial participants to swallow 36 poop pills.

Based on the results, adult participants allergic to peanuts were able to take a bite once or twice a month following the treatment, opening the possibility of a potential cure for food allergy.

The trial had its roots in previous research published in the journal Nature Medicine in 2019. The research suggested gut microbes can help the immune system to fight against food allergies.

The previous study explored the biological phenomenon of dysbiosis, described as the disruption of the human gut.

However, the 2019 study has not linked the actual correlation between dysbiosis and food allergy, but its researchers discovered that the gut microbiota of infants has different bacteria from their human gut microbiome caused by dysbiosis.

The gut microbiota will eventually evolve over time even in adulthood.

Also read: Bacteria in Gut can Lower Peanut Allergy Risk

Poop Transplant Treatment

The premise and foundation of a poop transplant treatment or fecal transplant treatment are extracting feces from healthy people and using it for sick people-frequently used during colonoscopy, as per Science News.

Colonoscopy is a method to detect problems in the colon and rectum.

Although the fecal transplant treatment is not a new concept, the recent clinical trial in Phoenix showed the significance of bacteria from fecal matter when used as oral capsules.

Nevertheless, further trials and research are still required if fecal transplant pills are manufactured into production for people with food allergies.

Allergy Statistics in the US

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), allergies can be triggered not only by food but also by air particles or other external fragments like dust.

In some instances, these components are treated by the human body's immune system as a foreign substance.

The AAFA said the reaction of the immune system to the foreign substance, also known as allergens, exhibits symptoms in the form of coughing, sneezing, asthma, and others.

Furthermore, there is no known cure for allergies, which can only be managed by avoiding the allergen source.

In the US alone, the ACAAI stated approximately over 50 million Americans underwent different types of allergies each year.

The ACAAI also ranked allergies to be the 6th cause of chronic illness in the US and has cost the country around $18 billion worth of medical expenses and other factors to treat allergies.

Related article: Feeding Babies Peanuts Could Halt Food Allergy Development