Are pills containing frozen POO the key to beating hospital superbug? Stool samples from healthy donors 'restores balance of gut bacteria'
- Introducing 'normal' gut bacteria from healthy donors' excrement helps 'rebalance' a C. difficile patient's system curing their diarrhoea
- Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston cured 18 of 20 patients who took part in their study
- C. difficile can be life-threatening, especially in the elderly
- In healthy people the bacteria lies harmlessly in the gut
- Feared infection caused when antibiotics upset the balance of the gut allowing C. difficile to multiply causing severe diarrhoea
- Researchers warn people must not attempt 'home brew' capsules
A deadly hospital superbug could be treated using capsules of frozen faeces from healthy people, a new study has found.
The gut infection Clostridium difficule (C. difficile) can be life-threatening, especially in the elderly.
But scientists in the US found introducing 'normal' gut bacteria from a healthy donor's excrement, rebalanced a C. difficile patient's system, curing their illness.
They successfully cured 18 of 20 patients who took part in the study at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston of their diarrohea, improving their condition.
A new study has found capsules of frozen facecal matter from healthy donors can cure C. difficile patients of their severe diarrhoea. Doctors in the US cured 18 of the 20 patients taking part in their research. (File picture)
In healthy people the bacteria C. difficile lies harmlessly in the gut.
But the feared infection is caused when antibiotics upset the balance of the intestines.
While natural bacteria that protect against infection are decimated by the drugs, C. difficile multiply.
The result is severe diarrhoea, which can cause fatal complications, including swelling of the bowel from a build-up of gas.
The new research builds on a UK study published in 2012 where 'stool transplants' were used to restore the balance of the gut in mice suffering C. difficile.
But the methods used were invasive and presented problems for human patients.
The researchers developed a method whereby they could freeze healthy stool samples, enclosing them in capsules for patients to swallow.
They gave 20 patients 30 of the capsules, which contained gut bacteria from four healthy donors.
The aim was to replace the illness-causing bacteria with non-harmful strains.
The findings showed 14 of the 20 patients' diarrhoea was cured over an eight-week period.
Of the six who showed no signs of getting better, they were retreated and four were subsequently cured.
All the patients had suffered at least three bouts of mild to moderate C. difficile and failed to get better after being given standard antibiotics.
Some had suffered two episodes of severe infection requiring hospital treatment.
The patients ranged in age from 11 to 89. All the study participants were given two capsules on two consecutive days, and doctors followed them up six months later to see if their symptoms had resolved.
Those taking part also reported an improvement in their overall health. Asked to rate their condition on a scale of one to 10, patients reported an improvement from an average of five before treatment, to eight after taking the capsules.
The results have been hailed significant, due to C. difficile's resistant nature to antibiotics.
But researchers warned 'larger studies are needed to confirm these results and to evaluate long-term safety and effectiveness'.
In healthy people C. difficile bacteria lies harmlessly in the gut. But some antibiotics can disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut, decimating healthy bacteria that prevents infection, while allowing C. difficile, pictured under the microscope, to multiply, causing severe diarrhoea and potentially life-threatening complications
Dr Ilan Youngster from Boston Children's Hospital, who was also involved in the report, warned against people trying to create their own 'home brew' capsules.
He told the BBC: 'The use of capsules simplifies the procedure immensely, potentially making it accessible to a greater population.
'But while we are striving to make this treatment more accessible to patients it is important to remind people of the potential dangers of attempting 'home brew' faecal microbiota transplant using faecal material from family members or friends.
'This procedure should only be performed under strict medical supervision with material from thoroughly screened donors.'
Hospitals across the UK face monthly targets for both C. difficile rates as well as those of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
A spike in cases of the so-called 'hospital superbugs' forced the NHS to introduce the new infection-control measures in 2007.
Since then the number of cases have fallen rapidly. NHS figures show there were 14, 687 reported cases of C. difficile in England from April 2012 to March 2013, compared with 52,988 in 2007.
The study is published the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Source: Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2792108/are-pills-containing-frozen-faeces-key-beating-hospital-superbug-stool-samples-healthy-donors-restores-balance-gut-bacteria.html#ixzz3G8W6WWxl
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