Giving C. diff patients FAECAL transplants instead of antibiotics 'boosts their chances of surviving the killer superbug by 32%'

  • Scientists looked at nearly 300 patients with the bacterial infection in the gut 
  • Faecal transplants boosted survival by third and slashed hospital time in half 
  • That's compared with patients with condition who were treated with antibiotics

By CONNOR BOYD, DEPUTY HEAD OF NEWS

Published: | Updated:

Treating C. diff patients with faecal transplants instead of antibiotics increases their chance of survival by a third, research shows.

Scientists in Italy looked at nearly 300 patients with the infection, which plagues the gut. 

They found that, compared with antibiotics, faecal transplants boosted their chance of survival and halved their time spent in hospital.

The treatment also reduced the risk of developing sepsis, a deadly overreaction by the immune system to the infection, by nearly four times.

Scientists aim to develop a pill for the treatment of people suffering with inflammatory bowel disease as a 'less smelly' option than faecel transplants

Scientists aim to develop a pill for the treatment of people suffering with inflammatory bowel disease as a 'less smelly' option than faecel transplants

Faecal transplants are used to help a range of gut conditions on the NHS, by using the stool of a healthy donor.

It is transferred to sick recipients with the hope the donor bacteria will attach to the patient's gut.

This new bacteria is then meant to help restore the balance of the gut so it can fight against infections like C. diff or even Crohn's.

Faecal transplants have been approved for treating recurrent C. diff, as the condition normally develops from the use of antibiotics.

It is common among hospital patients, whose immune systems are very vulnerable to the bacteria.

C. diff affects around 13,000 people a year in the UK. It mostly causes diarrhoea and stomach pain - but can become fatal if the colon is severely damaged.

Researchers from Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS, a medical centre in Rome, analysed 290 patients with C. diff. 

They treated 109 volunteers with a faecal transplant and 181 with antibiotics, which is the main form of treatment for the infection. 

WHAT IS C. DIFF?

Clostridium difficile, also known as C. diff, is a bacterium that can infect the bowel and cause diarrhoea.

The infection most commonly affects people who have recently been treated with antibiotics, but can spread easily to others.

C. difficile infections are unpleasant and can sometimes cause serious bowel problems, but they can usually be treated with another course of antibiotics.

C.diff affects around 13,361 people a year in the UK.

Source: NHS Choices

Five patients in the transplant group developed a bloodstream infection, compared to 22 in the antibiotic group.

After adjusting for other influential factors including recurrences and C. diff severity, risk of bloodstream infection was 23 per cent lower in the transplant group.

They also recovered faster from C. diff than the antibiotic group, spending 14 fewer days in hospital, on average.

Those who received the faecal transplant had about a 32 per cent better chance of survival, compared to those taking drugs. 

According to the researchers, these findings suggest that the transplant may be an option not only for curing recurrent C. diff but also for preventing its complications.

The findings are published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. 

Faecal transplants can be carried out via tubes - inserted into the nostril, down the throat and into the stomach - or directly into the colon.

However, the sample can also be inserted through enemas or pills containing freeze-dried material.

The procedure can replenish levels of bacteria in the gut, with faecal samples often containing up to 1,000 different species. 

WHAT IS A FAECAL MICROBIOTA TRANSPLANT? THE BIZARRE PROCEDURE THAT REBALANCES BACTERIA IN THE STOMACH

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is the transfer of stool from a healthy donor into the gastrointestinal tract of a patient.

WHAT CAN IT TREAT? 

It is most commonly used to treat recurring C. difficile infection - spread by bacterial spores found within faeces. It is 90 per cent effective.

It can also be used to treat gastrointestinal conditions such as colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and constipation - but success rates are much lower. 

Recent studies have delved into the benefits of treating conditions linked to a poor balance of 'good' and 'bad' bacteria in the gut, such as autism. 

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is the transfer of stool from a healthy donor into the gastrointestinal tract of a patient

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is the transfer of stool from a healthy donor into the gastrointestinal tract of a patient

FMT can replenish bacterial balance as it acts like a probiotic, with samples of faeces often containing up to 1,000 different species of bacteria.  

HOW IS IT PERFORMED?

The transplant is done via tubes - inserted into the nostril, down the throat and into the stomach - or directly into the colon.

However, the faecal sample can also be transplanted through enemas or pills containing freeze-dried material.

IS IT SAFE?

There have been reports of patients showing unexpected weight gain after treatment, bouts of vomiting and even abdominal pain.

However, the long-term safety and effectiveness of FMT is relatively unknown, and researchers have called for more studies to determine the risks. 

Italy

Most watched News videos