Real-World Safety, Efficacy Found for Fecal Transplants
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Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) appears safe and effective as a treatment for most Clostridioides difficile infections as it is currently being administered, researchers say. The finding, published online today in the journal Gastroenterology could allay concerns about a treatment that has yet to gain full approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), despite successful clinical trials. C diff infections are common and increasing in the United States, often can't be cured with conventional treatments such as antibiotics, and can be deadly. Transplanting fecal matter from a donor to the patient appears to work by restoring beneficial microorganisms to the patient's gut. The procedure is also under investigation for a wide range of other ailments, from irritable bowel syndrome to mood disorders. But much remains unknown. Researchers have counted a thousand bacterial species along with viruses, bacteriophages, archaea, and fungi in the human gut that interact in complex ways, not all of them beneficial.
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@preyashi The FDA has not enforced regulations that would prohibit the procedure, but in March, it warned about infections with enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) following fecal transplants. As a result of these reports, and the theoretical risk of spreading SARS-CoV-2, OpenBiome, the largest stool bank in the United States, has suspended shipments except for emergency orders, and asked clinicians to quarantine any of its products they already have on hand. In the meantime, long-term effects of the treatment have not been well documented. And clinical trials have excluded patients who might benefit, such as those who have been immunocompromised or have inflammatory bowel disease.