THE HUMAN FECAL
TRANSPLANT
- Laura Ann McCann
Clostridium difficile
 Also known as C. diff
 Mild to moderate symptoms: watery diarrhea, abdominal pain and
cramping
 Severe symptoms: colitis, watery diarrhea from 10-15 times per
day, fever, nausea
 Transmission: fecal-oral and while taking certain antibiotics
 Produces spores that can survive in a room for weeks to months
 Treatment: Flagyl or vancomycin and surgery for severe cases
 Causes approximately 14,000 deaths annually
HUMAN FECAL TRANSPLANT
 Donated stool from a healthy person is transplanted into a patient
infected with the C. diff bacterium
 The patient that receives the stool has not been responding to the
traditional antibiotics
 Administration: nasogastric tube or implantation during a colonoscopy
 Most symptoms are relieved within 24 hours
 The donated stool helps regenerate and re-establish the regular
intestinal flora in the patient’s gastrointestinal tract
STUDY PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL INFECTIOUS
DISEASE SOCIETY OF AMERICA MEETING IN SAN DIEGO
 49 patients that were not responding to antibiotics were treated
 43 recovered completely and did not have any side effects or
recurrence 3 months later
 4 died from causes not related to C. diff or treatment
 One showed no improvement
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251759.php
http://news.yahoo.com/poop-transplants-may-combat-bacterialinfections-130609662.html