Bacterial transplantation for the layman

Q&ACategory: QuestionsBacterial transplantation for the layman
Anonymous asked 4 years ago
Hi Dr. Callewaert. I had been dabbling with bacterial transplanatation between spots in my body using moisturizeed cotton pads etc. (even before I saw your research) but I had no good results so far. Do you have any method suggestions for DIY bacterial transplantations, far from the convenience of a laboratory environment? My main goal is to get my left armpit to smell more like my right armpit (the first has a far less agreeable smell than the other).
1 Answers
drarmpit answered 4 years ago
Hi, thanks for your question. In brief, this is how we do the underarm bacterial transplant: 1/ clean underarm with disinfectants, topical antibiotics, soaps for 7 days. The last day, do not use topical antibiotics anymore. 2/ For the donor skin microbiome: do not clean that skin for 4 days to grow to maximum bacterial load. 3/ Swab the donor skin microbiome with a moistened cotton swab (using sterile saline water) and dissolve in 1mL of sterile saline water. Repeat 5-10 times until the water becomes cloudy. 4/ Apply, using the same cotton swab to apply the microbiome onto the wanted region. Until all 1mL is applied on the underarm. 5/ Wait a couple of minutes and let the applied liquid dry on the skin. 6/ Apply a big band-aid to cover up the underarm region, so there is no external contamination (from clothes or other body parts). 7/ Let the band-aid sit for a couple of days, so the microbiome can conquer the new environment. It is however still an experimental technique, and it has no guaranteed success. All is dependent how it is done, and of the donor microbiome. The microbiome in the skin is also very important, and those can only be tackled using topical antibiotics. I would still advise to surround yourself by professional help. Hope this helps. Best, Chris