Which Diseases Does Sheena Cruickshank Tie to Gut Microbes?

On Pint of Science, Professor Sheena Cruickshank says changes in the microbiome have been linked to obesity, allergy, autoimmune disease, depression, and anxiety. She also describes fecal microbiota transplants for Clostridium difficile, the overgrowth that causes severe diarrhea and often does not respond to antibiotics. A screened donor's microbes, given under medical supervision, can restore the gut. She warns that this is not a home remedy. In one case she cites, a patient became obese after receiving a sibling's microbiome. That is why she is skeptical of anyone selling transplants off a single headline about gut health.