13 Oct Resistant C. Diff Infections Treatable With Pill Form of Fecal Bacterial Transplant

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr.  Ilan Youngster, MD, MMSc
Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital,
Harvard Medical School,
Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts

Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?

Dr. Youngster: The main finding is that oral administration seems to be as safe and effective as more traditional routes of delivery like colonoscopy or nasogastric tube. This is important as it allows Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to be performed without the need of invasive procedures, making it safer, cheaper and more accessible to patients.

Medical Research: What was most surprising about the results?

Dr. Youngster: The findings were not surprising, but mostly reassuring.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Youngster: That in patients that have failed traditional treatments for C. difficile, Fecal microbiota transplantation is a feasible option.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Youngster: Future research will be geared towards identifying the optimal microbial composition. Until that time we will work on refining this treatment modality and making it even safer for use.
Citation:

Youngster I, Russell GH, Pindar C, Ziv-Baran T, Sauk J, Hohmann EL. Oral, Capsulized, Frozen Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Relapsing Clostridium difficile Infection. JAMA. Published online October 11, 2014. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.13875.

Last Updated on October 13, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD