Reference entry
Faecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT)
Plain-English definitions of microbiome research vocabulary — the terms you'll see across articles, testing services, and probiotic claims.
Glossary context
Defined
in the site-wide microbiome glossary
Definition
A medical procedure that transfers stool from a healthy donor into a patient's gut to restore microbial diversity. Currently approved primarily for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection, with research ongoing for other conditions.
Related terms
Dysbiosis
An imbalance in the composition or function of the microbiome, typically characterised by reduced diversity, loss of beneficial bacteria, or overgrowth of potentially harmful species.
Microbiota
The actual living microorganisms within an environment. Often used interchangeably with microbiome, though microbiome technically includes their genes as well.