Establishment of the first stool bank in an Eastern European country and the first series of successful fecal microbiota transplantations in Bulgaria

Abstract

Objective: For safe implementation and broader application of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), quality controlled stool banking is a must. Establishing a stool bank is a complex, time-consuming, and expensive process, making it a real challenge in an Eastern European country. We aimed to establish the first stool bank in Eastern Europe - in Bulgaria.

Subjects and methods: A multidisciplinary team of gastroenterologists, microbiologists, infectionists, and geneticists was set up. We used a questionnaire based on the First European FMT Consensus in order to recruit possible stool donors. Laboratory blood and stool tests were performed on all potential donors.

Results: Between October 2018 and April 2019, 112 donor volunteers completed a questionnaire; 70 (62.5%) were excluded, mainly because of age above 50, an unhealthy BMI, and risk behavior. Fourty-two (37.5%) donor candidates were invited for laboratory testing of blood and feces, of which 12 (28.6%) passed this screening. Of 12 donors, 4 (33%) failed at the following screening test, which is performed every 3-6 months. Finally, 8 (7.14%) active donors were enrolled. Ten successful FMTs were performed on patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection.

Conclusions: Even though we found many healthy volunteers, only a low percentage (7.14%) of them were suitable to become feces donors. Establishing a stool bank in an Eastern European country is essential for making FMT safe and more popular as a treatment method, finding further implementation and regulation of FMT and supporting physicians offering this treatment to their patients.