Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
Fecal microbiota transplantation consists of the transfer of feces from a healthy donor into the gastrointestinal tract of a patient with a specific disease, associated with changes in microbiota (dysbiosis). The goal is to treat the associated condition by restoring a healthy gut microbiota.
Process
Eligible donors are chosen for being healthy and do not pose a risk to beneficiaries. They are carefully selected, after a wide range of blood and fecal analyzes, in order to rule out the presence of various pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and parasites.
The fecal microbiota is isolated from the feces of healthy donors in a controlled environment and in accordance with good manufacturing practices. The microbiota preparations for transplantation can then be administered via enema, colonoscopy, endoscopy or through capsules.
This process takes place in a controlled clinical context and with due medical monitoring.
Therapeutic indications
Currently, fecal microbiota transplantation is indicated for the treatment of recurrent infection by Clostridioides difficile , resistant to antibiotics. The existing bacteria in healthy donors are able to restore the intestinal balance in the transplanted patient, being able to definitively fight the infection by C. difficile. The effectiveness of TMF in combating this type of infection reaches 90%.
Infection with C. difficile it is one of the most prevalent hospital infections and carries a greater risk of life for users.
The application of TMF in several other pathologies, which affect the gastrointestinal tract, is already being tested in several clinical trials.
​
More about Clostridioides difficile infection :
-
Infection with Clostridioides difficile (" Clostridioides difficile infection" -CDI) is one of the main and most serious hospital infections.
​
-
Symptoms of CDI can range from diarrhea to serious, life-threatening complications and is the leading cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea.
​
-
Typically, CDI results from the use of antibiotics that disrupt the normal functioning of intestinal bacteria allowing Clostridioides difficile to proliferate.
​
-
Patients at particular risk of developing CDI are the elderly hospitalized or in long-term care facilities.
​
-
Patients hospitalized with CDIs are up to three times more likely to die in the hospital than those without the infection.
​
-
About 25% of patients with this infection will recur within a month and patients who have had a recurrence have a 40% risk of having a new episode of CDI.
​
-
The biggest problem associated with the treatment of CDIs is the high probability of recurrence of the infection, a fact that causes greater suffering to the patient and substantially increases the costs associated with the health system.
​
-
FMT is an effective solution to the treatment of recurrent CDI, resistant to antibiotics, decreasing the length of hospital stay and the likelihood of recurrence of the infection.