From Donor to Patient: Collection, Preparation and Cryopreservation of Fecal Samples for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation

. Despite the existence of a few existing stool banks worldwide and many studies of the FMT, there is no standard method for producing material for FMT, and there are a multitude of factors that can vary between the institutions. The main constraints for the therapeutic uses of FMT are safety concerns and acceptability. Technical and logistical issues arise when establishing such a non-standardized treatment into clinical practice with safety and proper governance. In this context, our manuscript describes a process of donor safety screening for FMT compiling clinical and biological examinations, questionnaires and interviews of donors. The potential risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus by the use of fecal microbiota for transplantation must be taken urgently into consideration. We discuss a standardized procedure of collection, preparation and cryopreservation of fecal samples through to the administration of material to patients, and explore the risks and limits of this method of FMT. The future success of medicine employing microbiota transplantation will be tightly related to its modulation and manipulation to combat dysbiosis. To achieve this goal, standard and strict methods need to be established before performing any type of FMT.