I found a medical source that explains how FBO can manifest - its a possible form of bad smelling underarm sweat

 

I have been going through a book on the subject of abnormal human body odor written in 1992 by two Japanese doctors. I was very surprised at just how good the information in the book is, even with how old it is. Link to the book: https://sci-hub.se/https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-4-431-66908-1

Here is what it has to say about fecal odors: (from page 36)

According to Leyden et al. (1981) common axillary odor

is generated by aerobic diphtheroids, and incubating micro-

cocci with apocrine sweat produce an odor akin to that of

isovaleric acid. Short-chain fatty acids and ammonia are the

major odor components produced by apocrine sweat that

has been degraded by bacteria, but other unidentified sub-

stances may be present as well. That could explain the

various odors, ranging from sweaty, rancid, and fecal to

sour and sweet, that are sometimes detected, indicating

individual variations in the chemical composition of axillary

perspiration.

The axilla (or axillary area) simply means the underarm area. So, this is saying that fecal odors have indeed been detected coming from the underarm sweat. The book explains pretty good methods for detection, that are based on the doctor actually smelling the person, and not just self reports.

Some people here have speculated that the fecal odor is coming straight out of pores all over the body, and is possibly originating from fecal matter itself that is not being processed quickly enough or properly. This book seems to be confirmation that the underarm sweat (probably the apocrine sweat in the area) can create a fecal odor. This rebuts the idea that all fecal odors must have a dental/breath based origin on the grounds that is all that has ever been documented.

An important note about the book: the threshold for having a malodor condition in asian countries that is serious enough for medical intervention is dramatically lower than in the rest of the world. An objectively very minor odor is enough to qualify for surgical sweat gland removal there. This is because people there usually have no odor at all, because most people there have no apocrine sweat gland production. It is usually apocrine sweat that creates an odor.

Also, since this book was published in 1992, the surgical techniques would have improved and changed a great deal since then, and the thing to try first today would be botox, or more likely miradry. If you have FBO, and it is coming primarily or exclusively from the underarm area, than there are possible treatment options. The underarm sweat glands can be targeted by serious medical treatments.

See this post I made about that: https://www.reddit.com/r/TMAU/comments/1ea66nx/medical_article_about_laser_treatment_for_this/

Also, see this post for more info on the importance of determining what parts of the body are responsible for the bad smelling sweat, and how to do so: https://www.reddit.com/r/TMAU/comments/1ecgdpc/it_is_extremely_important_to_establish_what_part/

There is a later section of the book that also addresses fecal odors, but its hard to understand exactly what the authors are trying to say (from page 109):

9.8 Feces Odor

Among the patients who are annoyed by body odor, there

are those who persistently complain that their bodies smell

of feces. Abiko (1986) defines the source of feces and flatus

odors as the gasified composition of dissolved products of

110 9. Body Odors and Associated Diseases and Disorders

residual food, produced by the action of intestinal bacteria

existing in the lower small intestine and the large intestine.

In the case of a healthy person, the food residue in those

areas is composed mostly of food fiber, and the gasified

composition of the dissolved products produced by bacterial

action is composed mostly of low fatty acid. This com-

position emits a mild and sweet odor. When dissolved

products other than those of food fiber are added to it, feces

and flatus produce offensive odors. If the food residue is

composed mainly of glucide, it is called "fermentative" and

has a sour odor. On the other hand, when it is composed

mainly of protein, it is putrid and emits an offensive odor

represented by hydrogen sulfide gas

The reference for Abiko (1986) mentioned above is: 'Abiko J (1986) Feces odor (in Japanese). Nippon Iji-Shinpo 3238:133'

I could not find anything for the reference in a google search, but maybe somebody else can. It says the text will be in Japanese, but google translate may come in handy here if anything can be found.

 

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