Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) is a therapy for those with recurrent clostridium difficile infection (C-diff). C-diff is a bacterium that is present in the intestine of some individuals, causing issues that can range from a mild illness to a severe life-threatening condition requiring hospitalization. Symptoms may initially resemble food poisoning or the stomach flu, causing frequent diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, fever, and others. As the infection becomes more severe, so do the symptoms. Recurrent or long-term infection can cause permanent damage to the colon.

The infection is contracted through contact with the bacteria. If you eat after touching a surface where the bacteria are present, you may be introducing it to your gut. While a healthy immune system is often able to fight it off, sometimes the bad bacteria is able to take over, causing problems. The most common cause of the bad bacteria taking over is after the use of antibiotics, which can upset the balance of good versus bad bacteria.

Treatment happens by introducing a new, healthy colony of bacteria obtained from the fecal material of a healthy person into the patient’s gut in an effort to suppress the C-diff infection. To date, it has been very effective in patients who develop recurrent infection, as well as those who are not improving with other therapies. Historically, after undergoing rigorous testing, fecal material was placed directly into a patient’s intestine by way of colonoscopy. However, treatment continues to progress. Now, there are options for capsules to be taken orally, or a via tube administered rectally in an office setting by a healthcare provider. As before, the treatments are formulated from good bacteria taken from the stool of donors that has gone through a rigorous screening, purification and manufacturing process to ensure patient safety. Both methods are FDA-approved and readily available for qualified patients, who should start seeing improvement just days after treatment. Long term they have proven very successful in treating C-diff and preventing its recurrence.

Chronic or recurrent C-diff infection should be assessed and treated by a medical provider who is well-trained in this area. At GAP, our gastroenterologist’s expert knowledge and strict oversight of the therapy program helps to achieve the best possible outcome for the patient.