What is Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT)?

Around 1 in 4 people with CDI face recurrent C.diff infections. Each recurrence predisposes the patient to further recurrences. After two or more recurrences, the risk of a subsequent recurrence is as high as 65%. Tragically, this means that some patents face multiple rounds of antibiotic therapy, leading to lengthy hospital stays and decreased quality of life.In these patients, a treatment called Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT), is the most effective treatment, with a cure rate of around 90%.

FMT aims to restore a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut of people who have recurrent C.diff infections by introducing gut bacteria from the faeces of healthy donor

• ‘Microbiota’ refers to the community of microorganisms that inhabit a particular region of the human body.
• ‘Faecal’ refers to the source of the microbiota (faeces in the gut/bowel)
• ‘Transplantation’ refers to the transfer of healthy and safe microbiota from a donor’s faeces to a patient, by a variety of means, such as

The donated healthy faecal microbiota helps to restore the normal balance of bacteria inside the digestive system of a person with C.diff. The treatment has been shown in clinical trials to have a success rate of around 90%.

FMT information can be found on the NHS choices website “While this may sound unpleasant, the treatment does have very good results, with a success rate of more than 90%, and is probably the best treatment currently available. However, access to this type of treatment may be limited.”Despite its clinical trial success and recommendation by NICE, FMT is not readily accessible for doctors to perform because to the cost and logistical factors associated with finding a new donor for each treatment. At the present time, if a doctor wants to perform FMT, they have to:

– Find a donor (time consuming)

– Screen them for infectious diseases (expensive)

– Process the sample using budget equipment and limited staff (inefficient)