Fecal Microbiota Transplants as a Treatment Option for Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with an unknown cause, high prevalence, and no effective therapy. Alterations in gut microbiota com- position and function have been found in PD, which could influence the gut-brain axis. Several mechanisms have been proposed and are investigated to explain the link between gut microbiota and PD. In model systems and in individual case reports, modulation of gut microbiota has been associated with improvement of PD. A safe and effective way of gut microbiota manipulation is fecal microbiota transplant (FMT). FMT is used successfully for treatment of recurrent gastrointestinal infections as well as other indications. We advocate randomized clinical trials with FMT as a treatment option for PD