Poo transplant to be offered to hundreds with superbug

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Hundreds of people with a hard-to-treat superbug are to be offered poo transplants to tackle their infections. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said that faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) should be considered for patients who have had two or more treatments for Clostridium difficile (C.diff) without success.

C.diff only affects people who have taken antibiotics, and causes people to suffer with diarrhoea. It is usually treated with a different type of antibiotics, but is sometimes referred to as a ‘superbug’ due to its resistance to treatment.

Mark Chapman, interim director of Medical Technology at NICE, said: “There is currently a need for an effective treatment of C.diff in people who have had two or more rounds of antibiotics. “Our committee’s recommendation of this innovative treatment will provide another tool for health professionals to use in the fight against this infection, while at the same time balancing the need to offer the best care with value for money. “Use of this treatment will also help reduce the reliance on antibiotics, and in turn reduce the chances of antimicrobial resistance, which supports NICE’s guidance on good antimicrobial stewardship.” NICE said that clinical trials have shown that FMT treatment is significantly better than antibiotics alone at resolving a stubborn C.diff infection.

The treatment could also save the NHS more than £8,000, as FMT can be considerably cheaper than antibiotics if given as an oral capsule.