There has been growing interest in the use of fecal
microbiota for the treatment of patients with chronic
gastrointestinal infections and inflammatory bowel
diseases. Lately, there has also been interest in its
therapeutic potential for cardiometabolic, autoimmune,
and other extraintestinal conditions that were
not previously considered to be associated with the
intestinal microbiota. Although it is not clear if
changes in the microbiota cause these conditions,
we review the most current and best methods for
performing fecal microbiota transplantation and
summarize clinical observations that have implicated
the intestinal microbiota in various diseases. We
also discuss case reports of fecal microbiota transplantations
for different disorders, including Clostridium
difficile infection, irritable bowel syndrome,
inflammatory bowel diseases, insulin resistance,
multiple sclerosis, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic
purpura. There has been increasing focus on the