The so-called ‘poo pills’ are being trialled by UK doctors in a bid to combat the rising surge of dangerous superbug infections.
The NHS is experimenting with ‘poo pills’ in an ambitious bid to tackle the escalating threat of deadly superbug infections.
According to researchers, there are “really promising signals” that capsules filled with freeze-dried faeces could hold the key to defeating the rising tide of superbug infections.
The faeces are sourced from healthy donors and are teeming with beneficial bacteria. Once ingested, these ‘good’ bacteria engage in a battle for nutrients and space on the gut lining, effectively waging war against the superbugs.
By outcompeting them, the pills either eradicate the superbugs entirely or “reduce them down to a level that doesn’t cause problems”, as Dr Merrick explains. Superbugs are essentially germs that have developed resistance to antibiotics.
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Standard treatment for such infections typically involves prescribing medication to block the germ, buying the immune system time to eliminate it. However, when a germ adapts to survive the medication, it becomes drug-resistant.
The trial, conducted at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in London, involved 41 patients and laid the groundwork for a larger study, yielding encouraging results, reports the Express.
Participants received pills crafted from donated faeces, which had been thoroughly tested to ensure the absence of any hazardous microorganisms and had undigested food removed. The substance is freeze-dried into a fine powder and encapsulated in a pill.
When it arrives in the intestines, the capsule dissolves to unleash its poopy powdery contents.
“It’s very exciting. There’s a real shift from 20 years ago where all bacteria and viruses were assumed to do you harm; to now where we realise they are completely necessary to our overall health,” Dr Merrick enthused.
If these pills demonstrate effectiveness against superbugs in more extensive studies, it could be a groundbreaking development. The researchers believe that the pills could serve as both a treatment and a preventative measure for individuals at risk.
