Elizabeth Hohmann, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, spends her days screening potential stool donors for faecal transplants that treat stubborn gut infections. With only about one percent of respondents qualifying, the process is challenging but rewarding. Her work has restored health to patients who previously couldn't function normally.
For 15 years, Elizabeth Hohmann has led the faecal transplant program at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, transforming donated stools into oral capsules to combat recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections. These infections, which cause severe diarrhoea and resist antibiotics, affect many patients, but the transplants introduce beneficial gut bacteria to outcompete the harmful ones.
Finding suitable donors is no easy task. Hohmann advertises online, offering $1,200 for a month's donations, yet only around one percent pass the rigorous checks. Candidates must avoid being healthcare workers or recent travellers to South-East Asia due to risks of drug-resistant bacteria, and they need to be lean to prevent obesity transmission. Successful applicants undergo blood tests for infections like HIV and covid-19, plus a rectal exam for gut issues.
Ideal donors are often fitness buffs with diets heavy on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, shunning ultra-processed foods. Hohmann notes that while some centres prefer vegans, her top donors have been omnivores. Donations occur over two to four weeks, with donors visiting the hospital daily for bowel movements, often prompted by coffee. The fresh stool is blended with saline, filtered, and encapsulated promptly.
Post-donation re-screening ensures no new infections, like Salmonella, have arisen. The impact is profound: one patient, previously too ill to work, now manages 30 hours weekly. 'I keep doing it because it really does make a huge difference in some people’s lives,' Hohmann says. As retirement nears, she struggles to find a successor, with colleagues recoiling at the hands-on nature of the job.
