Microbiome science in fecal microbiota transplantation for inflammatory bowel disease: a WoSCC-centered, three-database bibliometric and knowledge-mapping analysis, 2000–2025

Background Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an ecosystem-level microbiome intervention for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but bibliometric findings depend on indexing systems. Objective To map the development and thematic evolution of FMT–IBD research from 2000 to 2025 and identify recurrent macro-level patterns across the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), Scopus, and PubMed. Methods After single-reviewer eligibility screening and within-database deduplication, 1,689 WoSCC, 2,697 Scopus, and 1,533 PubMed records were included. WoSCC served as the core analytical dataset, whereas Scopus and PubMed were parallel descriptive comparators; the datasets were not pooled or matched at record level. R/bibliometrix supported performance analysis, VOSviewer mapped database-specific term co-occurrence, and CiteSpace identified cited-reference and keyword bursts. Results More than 94% of records in each database were indexed during 2015–2025. All three sources showed rapid growth, China and the United States as the leading corresponding-author countries, a multidisciplinary journal base, and recurring themes centered on FMT, IBD, ulcerative colitis, dysbiosis, and the gut microbiome. Detailed rankings remained source dependent. The cited knowledge base shifted from recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection efficacy and procedural standardization toward IBD trials, biosafety, formulations, strain engraftment, and microbiota–immune–metabolic mechanisms. Conclusion FMT–IBD research increasingly emphasizes strain-aware, function-oriented, and biosafety-conscious microbiome intervention. These patterns map the indexed literature and do not demonstrate that precision microbiome intervention has been achieved. Priorities include functional multi-omics, reproducible pipelines, biologically informed donor–recipient matching, and rigorous biosafety surveillance.