Recruitment of feces donors among blood donors: Results from an observational cohort study

• Published in: Gut microbes Vol. 9; no. 6; pp. 540 - 550
• Main Authors: Jørgensen, Simon Mark Dahl, Erikstrup, Christian, Dinh, Khoa Manh, Lemming, Lars Erik, Dahlerup, Jens Frederik, Hvas, Christian Lodberg
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 02.11.2018
• Subjects: blood donors; donor selection; fecal microbiota transplantation; Feces donor epidemiology; feces donor recruitment; feces donor screening; Research Paper; blood donors; donor selection; feces donor recruitment; feces donor screening; Feces donor epidemiology; fecal microbiota transplantation
• ISSN: 1949-0976; 1949-0984
• DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2018.1458179

As the use of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has gained momentum, an increasing need for continuous access to healthy feces donors has developed. Blood donors constitute a healthy subset of the general population and may serve as an appropriate group for recruitment. In this study, we investigated the suitability of blood donors as feces donors. In a prospective cohort study, we recruited blood donors onsite at a public Danish blood bank. Following their consent, the blood donors underwent a stepwise screening process: First, blood donors completed an electronic pre-screening questionnaire to rule out predisposing risk factors. Second, eligible blood donors had blood and fecal samples examined. Of 155 blood donors asked to participate, 137 (88%) completed the electronic pre-screening questionnaire, 16 declined, and 2 were excluded. Of the 137 donors who completed the questionnaire, 79 (58%) were excluded mainly due to having an allergy, being overweight, or presenting gastrointestinal complaints. Among the remaining 58 (37%) donors, complete blood and feces screenings were obtained from 46 (79%). Of these 46 donors, 15 (33%) were excluded primarily due to abnormal blood results or the presence of apathogenic intestinal parasites. Overall, 31 (20%; 95% confidence interval 14-27%) of the 155 blood donors qualified as feces donors. In conclusion, blood donors constitute a suitable and motivated population for a continuous recruitment of voluntary feces donors. We found that a stepwise recruitment procedure was feasible and that 20% of the blood donors were eligible for feces donation.