C Diff Fecal Transplant Therapy – 7 Key Facts

C diff faecal transplant therapy is sometimes known as Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT). Because some people suffer from chronic c difficile, doctors are using a new therapy to dislodge the disruptive c diff from their intestines. Faecal matter from a family member is often sought so that the material entering their system is reflective of local stomach flora. This is then turned into a liquid slurry and inserted into the body to colonise the intestine.

How do faecal matter transplants work?

For most people, this introduces a new balance in the intestine and restores the bacteria depleted by antibiotic treatment. This bacteria would, in normal circumstances, combat c diff anyway. It is by no means exactly how the cure takes place in specific biological terms – but the general theory that recolonising the colon with healthy bacteria will reverse the c difficile seems to be true. Some research indicates that the reintroduction of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes elements are part of the cure.

Faecal Microbiota Transplant?

The c diff faecal transplant is inserted into the intestine in one of 4 ways, via a duodenal tube, a rectal tube, a colonoscopy or possibly via special faecal tablets enclosed in a shell which dissolves in the intestine. The colonoscopy is favoured as the whole of the colon can be recolonised, and the extent of the infection can be clarified during the process. The cure may happen within hours or a few days.

Has the procedure been validated?

This is not a new therapy, but it was rare until the recent mushrooming of c difficile infections. It has been tested via clinical trials, and we link to information about those below. One of the significant trials was extended to include those not receiving the therapy as it was felt unethical not to help them recover.

The FDA in the USA did seek to regulate the process and surround every procedure with extensive paperwork. They stepped back from this amidst protests from front-line doctors who saw sick people get well within days.

In late 2015 the BMJ carried an article from those supportive of the FMT treatment that nevertheless called for an oversite of the procedure to help prevent cross infection of the patient with a condition new to them: They said:

“We have very rigorous screening protocols for donors to maximise safety. We check for any infections. We ask questions about their weight and won’t let them donate if they’re obese or have colon cancer or polyps. If you do a faecal transplant at home, God knows who your donor is, what you’re transferring,” he said. Read More

Does c diff faecal transplant therapy work?

Success rates of 97% have been noted, and those for whom it does not work often seek a faecal transplant for ulcerative colitis. Overall, a cure rate of 89% in 275 cases from around the world has been noted. Initial research also suggests that a small minority with further c diff infections have been reinfected from another source.

Who can have a stool transplant?

This process is usually a last-resort treatment. It will not be the first thing offered with your first c difficile infection. You will also need to find a facility willing to do c diff faecal transplants. Use a search engine to look for ‘faecal microbiota transplant xxxxxxxx. (Insert the name of your state or city instead of xxxxxx.)

Who can be a faecal transplant donor?

You will need to find a suitable donor, with family members preferred. You should note that their faecal matter will need to be tested and that much of the cost of the process – usually between $1500-2000 – relates to that testing. This is to ensure that they do not pass you another unhelpful infection. You should also note that heavily medicated people or recent users of antibiotics will not be suitable donors. A ‘faecal donor bank’ is also creating a resource for hospitals so that can obtain pre-screened faecal matter for use in the procedure.

Is there a Fecal Transplant Pill?

Work is underway to discover the essential elements of faecal donation that heal c diff infection. This would then be used to create pills or mainly targeted drugs that attack some aspect of the infection process – that could then bypass the need for the intrusive procedure. It is also believed that this therapy could help several other conditions, and research on those continues.

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Last Updated on September 4, 2019

26 thoughts on “C Diff Fecal Transplant Therapy – 7 Key Facts”

  1. The scourge of C. diff has seen little highlight in the lay-press, but the effects on my patients’ lives have been significant to say the least. There are few experiences in my professional career that compare with the healing effect of FMT for C. diff. colitis.

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  2. Do you mean isolation from other family or community members? Good hygiene practices mean home transmission of active infections is rare. DIY Fecal transplants are a risky business, you would be best to go to the doctor, but the rule of thumb re infection potential is that when the diahrea stops the infection risk drops.

    Dave

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  3. My FMT was in conjunction with routine colonoscopy, no problem, just the same awful prep! Not an instant fix, still had symptoms for about a month, but knock on wood, been fine for over six months now. You can change doctors, find one and a hospital who does this procedure. You deserve it.

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  4. I had FMT late spring, enjoyed some months of wellness, now am stricken again. We follow every precaution, had dogs tested, I’m past flagyl and halfway through the vanco course again. Can barely get out of bed, hopeless. Sorry, stuck in a pity party 🙁

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  5. FMT is a must for anyone with C-Diff. My son had one this week after almost 4 months with C-diff and the antibiotics they prescribe. It now has major inflammation through out his colon. The problem is the doctors need to perform FMT with the first diagnosis of C-diff. It is cruel, costly and negligent of the FDA ro require doctors and patience to through a ton of red tape to be able to use FMT to cure the C-diff.

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  6. I had a fecal transplant in May 2013, and would advise it to anyone with c diff asap. I was cured from the c diff after suffering for 14 months and none of the drugs would kill the infection, went through fourteen bottles of vanco, flagyl, and difficid. I was going to die and I knew it if I did not have the fecal transplant, which if done in the first place it would have saved me so much suffering from the start if I had the knowledge. I do have many illnesses since the c diff, I came down with, roscea, blepharitis/eyes, osteoporosis/spine and hip, neuropathy/feet, teeth problems for not eating in the fourteen month time frame fighting the illness, etc…. I did phone the FDA about fecal transplants last year when they were putting pressure on our doctors to perform them. I told them how could they approve drugs, in my case clindamycin for a root canal which gives us c diff, and making it more difficult for us, when we have nothing else to keep us alive with a fecal transplant. It was not long after I phoned that they lifted alot of what they stated making it difficult for our doctors to help us. I was the last person my doctor did a transplant on for some period of time. Also my insurance company said they made a mistake by paying for my transplant which took months to get them to pay that. Then they said they refused to pay testing for my donor, which they finally did pay after I fought with them for seven months to pay me back after I paid the bills. It is impotant we all speak up and stand together when touched by this illness. If anyone would like to talk to me further you can contact me at speakforthem@aol.com. Keeping everyone in prayers….

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  7. Here I am again, a full 18 months after my in home FMT – feeling great and no relapse of C diff. I would highly recommend it.

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    • Hi Anne, yes, my now 4 year old son has been free and clear for 14 months since the transplant. Thanks to this site for saving his life – seriously.

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  8. There is a slow down in this type of operation because of new FDA regulations. You need to Google fecal transplant SF bay to see who might do it.

    Dave
    cdifficile.org

    Reply
  9. After my son’s transplant he also came up negative but still had diarrhea. 10 days of Alinia cleaned up whatever comorbid condition or parasite that he had and he has now been completely normal for 10 months. Prior to the FT and Alinia he was on Flagyl and Vanco 5 times over the prior year. It was this site and the FT that gave him back his life. I would urge anyone suffering to earnestly consider it.

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  10. I just had fecal transplant in Missoula, MT at St. Patrick’s hospital. It’s only been a month so no bragging rights yet but I feel so much better after being on vancomycin for 2 years and four months. So much smarter to induce screened fecal matter into the small intestine so as to not miss any of those nasty C-diff spores. As I understand it, Duluth MN is the best place to get fecal transplant – they are having over 90% success. I was too sick to travel. All the mixtures of pro-biotics in the world did not help me. My stool is SO much better. Good luck everybody – this is such a terrible illness. Alex – Missoula, MT

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  11. Only a small number of people who have the fecal therapy seem to have another incident. There is some evidence that this is a fresh infection rather than a return of their previous one

    Dave
    cdifficile.org

    Reply
  12. Are there any doctors in the Charlotte, NC area that performs FMT? My 85 y.o. mother-in-law has been dealing with c-diff for about 2 years now and the Vancomycin is affecting her mind.

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  13. I am looking for a doctor in the CT area that will perform FMT…pleas help ..sick in CT….sick and tired of cdiff…help me!!!!

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  14. In Lima Ohio there is a Dr. By the name of Charles Brunelle that have been doing FT for 19 years… He is a wonderful man and owns his own practice with about 12 Dr.’s Under him… God bless you all and may Jesus take the this away from any body suffering from this.

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  15. My Mother is 68 & has had about 6-7 bouts with c diff over past 2 yrs, several which have been life-threatening. Recently, she’s had a UTI & had to take antibiotics which have started it up again. She is still in hospital & willing to try FMT. She has wondered if it was successful & had to take antibiotics again in future, would she be as likely to get c diff again. I have seen the high cure rate but have you heard anyone talk about recurrence after having FMT procedure?

    Reply
    • The figure talked about re success rate is 97%. Those who suffer again may have been reinfected from another source but the FMT seems to deal with the issue for most people.

      Dave
      cdifficile.org

      Reply
  16. Hi

    Did you have the transplant and did it work? My father is 85 and this c diff is slowly killing him, we are getting ready to see about a nursing home which is a last resort. I read online about the transplant at the lifespan (RI Hospital) website. Is that where you had it done and was it Dr. Kelly who did it??
    Any info would be great as we are having no success with all the antibiotics and this has been going on for about 4 years. My father is all skin and bones, he is afraid to eat and drink, he is a prisoner in his own home and is slowly wasting away and it is heartbreaking to see someone go through this. Please reply with any info.
    I will be calling RI Hospital tomorrow the 18th to see if I can get info and I will also look up Dr. Kelly and try to get an appointment asap.

    JoAnn

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  17. Em, there is a Dr. Lee at John’s Hopkins that does FMT. I will be calling them on Monday to start the process of getting one for my C – diff. Its called the integrative medicine and digestive center located in Lutherville, MD.

    Reply
  18. Do you know if any doctors perform the fecal transplant in Florida? My dad is currently suffering through C.Diff in the hospital. Some docs suggest removal of his colon to prevent recurrence- which sounds insane to me, especially with the success rates of fecal transplant. Please let me know if there are any doctors in the state of Florida that will do this procedure. Thanks!

    Reply
    • We do not have access to information on Florida doctors willing to do this proceedure, If you use the search facility on our site and simply put in the word Florida that may turn up something

      dave
      cdifficile.org

      Reply
  19. Hello, I have a 3 year old that has been suffering with C Diff since he was 9 months old, he’s been treated with Flagyl, and Vanco, and now I’m planning to discuss Dificid with his doctor (THANKYOU for that info!).
    However ultimately I would like to find a hospital that could do a Fecal Transplant and end this nightmare for him as a lifetime of those medicines is not healthy and may cause resistance. Do you know of any Hospitals or Docs in the Philadelphia area that would do this? I called St. Clares up in Dennville NJ, but they did not have any idea abou this, and all of the Gastroenterologists that I called from their site did not do it (or at least their secretaries did not know that they do it). They are 100 miles away but if i could find someone i would willingly travel that far. Thankyou for all of your help and for this website that is a lifeline for people like my son.

    Reply
  20. My c-diff started with antibiotic use for a cat bite. I suffered 5 months of severe c-diff. It also caused me fuzzy vision, diminished vision (near and distance) and cracking/popping in my ears and they felt like they were blocked for months. I have C-diff back again after taking antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection my body could not kick on its own. My vision went from 20/20 to 20/60 in a matter of weeks and I am freaking out!!! I am wearing two pairs of glasses to read stuff and see the tv. I hope vision will return once I get a fecal transfer (I have seen an opthamologist and he and my Internist cannot find a reason for my vision changes). I’d like good directions on how to perform this myself as my gastro and other doctors do not want to do this procedure despite all I have gone through. I would also like the name of a doctor who performs this procedure in Colorado or Southern California. Thanks in advance!!!!

    Reply
  21. I went to a local pharmacy and purchased an “urine hat.” You could probably also get one from your primary care physician. It is something that you put on the toliet to catch the fecal matter. Cost about $1. We discarded it after the procedure. After my husband collected the donor material in the urine hat, he mixed it with distilled water (the distilled water was purchased at the local supermarket cost about $2 ) to a consistency of milk. Make sure to take out any matter that will not dissolve into a liquid state. We just used a plastic spoon that was discarded after the procedure. After that he put the mixture in an enema bag that was also purchased at a local pharmacy. The enema bag cost about $17. I stood in the bathtub and inserted the tube that was hooked up to the enema bag into my rectum and when my husband held the enema bag above my head, the mixture went into my bowels. Make sure to hang on to the tube so that it does not slip out of the rectum. It was a very weird sensation, you can feel the matter running through your bowels, so be sure to use tepid distilled water, you don’t want it cold. I held in the mixture in for 30 minutes, which is a little uncomfortable to do, while I stood in the bathtub. After 30 minutes, I expelled the mixture in the toliet by the “traditional method.” I stayed home that day from work because I had several episodes of loose stools that day. I also cleaned the bathtub and the toliet with a bleach and water mixture when the procedure was over, so that no one else in my family would get the C Diff. The bleach and water mixture is 3 parts water to 1 part bleach. Here it is almost two months later and I am feeling great! No more C diff. I know the “ick factor” is very high on this procedure, but it was low cost and worked like a charm.

    Reply

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