Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
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Clin. Microbiol. Infect. · Nov 2016
Review Historical ArticleTherapeutic manipulation of the microbiota: past, present, and considerations for the future.
The growing appreciation of the potential role of indigenous microbiota in disease has resulted in a concomitant interest in manipulating the microbiome for therapeutic effect. The most successful example of microbiota manipulation for treatment of a disease is in recurrent infection with the bacterial pathogen Clostridium difficile. ⋯ A key conclusion that can be drawn is that understanding of the precise role of the microbiota in the pathogenesis of a specific disease is necessary prior to determining if microbiota manipulation represents a novel treatment therapy.