Table 3.

Challenges and solutions for limitations in current intervention studies in SIV/HIV microbiome research

Limitation category	Specific limitation	Proposed solution
Prebiotics and probiotics market proliferation	Marketed without research evidence, efficacy and safety variation	Stricter regulations, evidence-based marketing
Heterogeneity in intervention studies	Dosage and duration heterogeneity, outcome inconsistency	Standardized intervention protocols, unified outcome measures
FMT challenges	Donor profile uncertainty, antibiotic preconditioning consensus	Donor profile databases, clinical trials assessing preconditioning antibiotic regimens
Effectiveness assessment and localization	Stool vs. tissue microbiota correlation, impact assessment challenges	Advanced diagnostic tools, in-depth impact studies
Small sample sizes and short study duration	Limited sample size, short study duration	Larger, multicenter trials, extended study periods
Study design	Lack of standardized protocols, study design variability	Protocol development committees for microbiota interventions