University of Otago food science researcher Dr Dominic Agyei says sifting through other people’s poo is not everybody’s idea of a job flush with excitement, but it is for a worthy cause.
He is studying samples using advanced analytical "omics" techniques, to find the types, proportions and activities of bacteria in people recently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.
"It is well known that the types and activities of microorganisms in the human gut, among others, control several gut disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases.
"Poo is an interesting material that reveals a lot about what is happening inside us
... Also, the use of poo in research is non-invasive, so there are no anticipated risks to the research participants — they’re basically giving us something they don’t want."
Dr Agyei hopes the study will help determine how gut microbiota dynamics differ in healthy individuals and those with ulcerative colitis.
"That knowledge will help us better understand how gut disorder symptoms are controlled by the metabolic activities of unique bacteria populations in the gut of persons with ulcerative colitis.
"Ultimately, we aim to provide crucial mechanistic insights into gut microbiota activities that may assist in the prognosis of ulcerative colitis."
He said the smell was always "a concern", but his lab had equipment to help overcome it.
It uses class 2 biological safety cabinets, designed to suck air from the lab, pass it through filters into the cabinet chambers and off the lab through ducts.
Dr Agyei recently put a call out to students to provide poo samples for his research, but he was also keen to get samples from the wider Dunedin community.
However, he asked potential participants not to leave their samples in paper bags at the back door of his lab.
Participants needed to log their interest with the university first. "We will first screen participants through a set of eligibility criteria.
"Those who pass these criteria will be given instructions and a kit — gloves, containers, sticker labels — for collecting the samples.
"We are still looking for more participants, especially those with a clinical diagnosis of ulcerative colitis."
