Can 'poo pills' fight superbugs? Groundbreaking trial offers new hope

13 June 2025

A groundbreaking UK trial has found that faecal transplants – taken in capsule form – could help beat some of the world’s most dangerous infections.

The FERARO trial, led by researchers from King’s Health Partners and supported by scientists including our very own Professor Debbie Shawcross, showed that patients carrying so-called ‘superbugs’ could safely take oral capsules of faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) – restoring healthy gut bacteria and helping to fight antibiotic-resistant infections.

These capsules, sometimes nicknamed ‘poo pills’, contain freeze-dried gut bacteria from screened healthy donors. By restoring the gut’s natural defences, the capsules help to keep dangerous bacteria at bay – a process known as colonisation resistance.

Why it matters

Superbugs – bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics – are a growing global health crisis. Infections caused by them are harder to treat, more likely to spread in hospitals, and more likely to kill. In 2019 alone, at least 1.2 million deaths worldwide were directly caused by antibiotic-resistant infections.

Patients with liver disease are at an increased risk of developing antimicrobial resistance and superbugs. But FMT offers a new line of defence. By changing the bacteria in the gut, scientists believe it may be possible to push out resistant bacteria altogether – and do it without creating further antibiotic resistance.

“This is a hugely promising step toward tackling antimicrobial resistance without relying on antibiotics.”

Professor Debbie Shawcross, Roger Williams Institute for Liver Studies

The potentially lifesaving research has been covered in national press this week, including on the BBC and ITV. Thank you to every supporter who’s helped make it possible.

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