Synthetic stool? For what?

A synthetic "poop" developed at the University of Guelph can cure nasty gastrointestinal infections caused by Clostridium difficile, a toxin-producing bacterium. A study on the artificial stool was published January 8 in the inaugural issue of Microbiome, a new peer-reviewed science journal.

The stool -- a "super-probiotic" called RePOOPulate -- was created to replace human fecal matter used in stool transplants, a known treatment for C. difficile. The super-probiotic from purified intestinal bacterial cultures grown in "Robo-gut" equipment in a Guelph laboratory that mimics the environment of the large intestine.

Besides offering an effective therapy against the deadly superbug, the artificial poop is safer, more stable and adaptable, and less "icky" than treatments for C. difficile infection such as fecal bacteriotherapy.

Steve: I think they have to consider renaming the product if they want it to be taken seriously :)