INTRODUCTION: Despite the exponential increase in microbiome research, knowledge and beliefs about the gut microbiome and faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) remain unclear. The aim of this study was to identify the extent of knowledge, awareness and perception among the general public regarding the gut microbiome and FMT. METHODS: An online questionnaire on knowledge and beliefs about the gut microbiome and FMT was administered to 1831 participants. Data analysis software was used to generate descriptive statistics and explore associations between knowledge and sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: Even though only 33% of participants had heard of the gut microbiome, more than 92% had consumed probiotic drinks or supplements. While 85% had not heard of the FMT procedure, 72% of respondents would consider having FMT to treat Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Willingness to receive FMT depended mainly on recommendation from healthcare providers (77%). Knowledge and awareness regarding the gut microbiome and FMT were relatively low, despite most participants having prior gut health-related behaviours. CONCLUSION This study identified the public's perceptions of FMT and the potential barriers to its uptake. Insights from the study highlight the need for health education to enhance acceptance of FMT and the importance of using information supported by medical professionals to immunise the public against poorly validated science.
Humans ; Fecal Microbiota Transplantation ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Male ; Female ; Singapore ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Aged ; Clostridium Infections/therapy* ; Adolescent

Microbiome is associated with a wide range of diseases. The gut microbiome is also a dynamic reflection of health status, which can be modified, thus representing great potential to exploit the mechanisms that influence human physiology. Recent years have seen a dramatic rise in gut microbiome studies, which has been enabled by the rapidly evolving high-throughput sequencing methods (i.e. 16S rRNA sequencing and shotgun sequencing). As the emerging technologies for microbiome research continue to evolve (i.e. metatranscriptomics, metabolomics, culturomics, synthetic biology), microbiome research has moved beyond phylogenetic descriptions and towards mechanistic analyses. In this review, we highlight different approaches to study the microbiome, in particular, the current limitations and future promise of these techniques. This review aims to provide clinicians with a framework for studying the microbiome, as well as to accelerate the adoption of these techniques in clinical practice.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics* ; Health Status