Young boy undergoes rare fecal transplant

A mother in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province was able to help cure her sick 11-year-old son, with a new treatment and the healing powers of her poop.

Doctors at the Affiliated Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine were able to end young Maomao's (pseudonym) two-year battle with a bowel disease in a matter of two weeks by carrying out the first successful stool transplant in the province, media reported Wednesday

"To be more accurate, we transplant the bacteria, not the feces," said Chen Jie, director of gastroenterology at the hospital.

Maomao (pseudonym) had suffered from an infection in his colon called pseudomenbraneous colitis, causing him intense fevers, abdominal pain and weight loss.

Chen then suggested a fecal transplant, which harvests bacteria from the stool of healthy donors and injects them into the patient's large intestine.

"Fecal transplants use helpful bacteria to restore balance among intestinal bacteria," said Chen.

The treatment is not widely practiced on children, but Maomao's parents agreed and his mother donated the bacteria.