A Black Market Has Emerged for DIY Poop Transplants

Fecal microbiota transplants involve transferring healthy bacteria from a donor's gut microbiome to another person's colon—a poop transplant—and are as experimental as it gets. The FDA has greenlit just one type of FMT treatment in recent years, to treat a bacterial infection known as C. diff. While other uses (perhaps for Crohn's or irritable bowel syndrome) look promising, research is still in the dark ages, and undergoing treatment comes with some level of risk—at least two deaths were linked during clinical trials, though underlying medical conditions may have played a role. Still, that hasn't stopped some people with chronic illnesses from exploring the option, writes Luke Winkie at Slate. His story provides an inside look at the black market for poop via HumanMicrobes, a "mysterious and legally questionable website" run by a believer with stomach issues of his own.

"It's the only near-complete treatment that restores the microbiome," says owner Michael Harrop (described as the ""The Poop Broker" in the story's headline). "It's the endgame." He likens his business to the "Dallas Buyers Club of human waste," where for $1,000 people can purchase a single dose of poop in capsule or freeze-dried form from donors who clear a screening process. Harrop serves as the middleman in the exchange. The story recounts some anecdotal evidence of success for various gut ailments, though Harrop himself has yet to find the right donor for his own. He might have to wait—his unregulated business is under scrutiny by the FDA. Read the full story here about what Winkie describes as a "thrilling medical frontier." (Or check out more longform stories.)