Australia’s first public poo bank is now paying you for poop donations but you’ll have to be a South Australian to do it.
BiomeBank, a public stool bank, is operating in Adelaide that collects, tests and stores donated faecal matter and they’re on the look out for more, according to an ABC News article. If you’re a willing donor, you’ll get a $25 reimbursement for your troubles.
To be eligible for the dosh, you’ll need to be a reasonably healthy participant and willing to go through a questionnaire about your medical history.
“Essentially, we look for healthy individuals without medical problems and who are not on medication,” BiomeBank’s site reads.
“Unfortunately this excludes people with some conditions, such as diabetes or obesity.”
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/02/giz-explains-what-your-poo-is-trying-to-tell-you/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/cd3pagcfxgajhusqq6rd.jpg” title=”Giz Explains: What Your Poo Is Trying To Tell You” excerpt=”What the hell is that? Seriously, did that just come out of you, or did it crawl up the pipe? If you’ve just exorcised a poo that looks nothing like what you’ve eaten recently, it could be a sign of a serious illness. It could also just be that curry from last Wednesday, so it’s good to know what to look for.”]
So, why the need to collect Australia’s poop? Apparently, we’re a nation particularly high on the list of chronic bowel condition sufferers. Because of this, faecal microbiota can help to be transferred to patients who are experiencing a shortage of it in a process called faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). This transplant has been successful, according to BiomeBank, in patients with recurrent or refractory C. difficile infection ” a disease in the large intestine that causes abdominal pain and a host of other symptoms.
It’s also being trialled with patients undergoing chemotherapy or suffering Ulcerative Colitis ” an inflammatory bowel disease.
Once your stools have been donated, they’re then processed mixing in saline and glycerine and placed in a giant freezer until another patient requires your stool’s bacteria.
“[The donation’s placed] within a sealed vacuum and oxygen deplete container which replicates the conditions of the bowel and ensures the best gut bacteria remain viable,” the site reads.
“A minus 80 degree freezer then stores the processed stool until needed. A dry ice courier transports it to hospital where it can be thawed out and used as required. The FMT is given via colonoscopy or enema into the patient’s large bowel.”
For now, to donate and get your $25 reimbursement, you’ll need to be living in South Australia. If that’s you, give a shit for a good cause.