Fecal Microbiota Transplants for the Treatment
Of Clostridium Difficile
Emily Ramirez
Aurora University
Abstract
Fecal transplants have been around for many years; however up until recently it had not been widely used or accepted as a feasible course of treatment for gastrointestinal complications. Since approval by the U.S Food and Drug administration in 2013, the method is being thoroughly researched and tested to entice its use for Clostridium difficile infections. Clostridium difficile is extremely prevalent in the community and more over in healthcare facilities. The current treatments that are being used are quiet successful at treating Clostridium difficile, but the incidence of reoccurrence is fairly high. Fecal microbiota transplants have shown to have a very high success rate, and a very low reoccurrence rate. There are several ways of performing the treatment as well as different options for finding donors of the feces, all of which have similar and unwavering success rates. Fecal microbiota
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Methods include nasogastric tube, nasoduodenal tube, colonoscopy, oral fecal capsules, and self-administered enemas (Boyle et al., 2015). There are many advantages to using the colonoscopy approach, they include the fact that you can instill the stool along the length of the entire colon as well as visualize the colon for any abnormalities (Boyle et al., 2015). Despite the great advantage of using the colonoscopy method, it is associated with risk for complications such at perforation, infection, bleeding, pain, and furthermore the additional cost of anesthesia (Boyle et al., 2015). No matter the method they all have generally high success rates. According to the Oprita et al. study, 100% of their patients had a resolution of symptoms after treatment (2016). Similar results were shown in the Youngster et al. study where they had an overall cure rate of 90%
Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, rod-shaped bacillus that is renowned for being the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea in adult patients. C. difficile is present as normal intestinal flora within 3% to 5% of healthy people2, while its spores are ubiquitous in the environment, especially in hospital settings. It grows at an optimal temperature and pH of 37ºC and 6.5–7.5 respectively.1 It is an obligate anaerobic as it thrives in the absence of oxygen. It is highly motile with the presence of peritrichous flagella, which are evenly spread out along its surface. As briefly mentioned above, this evolving pathogen produces endospores. The bacterium produces dormant spores, which are extremely hardy and resistant to antibiotics, the host’s innate immune system, and once shed into the environment through the host’s feces, they are resistant to unfavorable aerobic conditions3 as well as several types of bleach-free disinfectants, which are commonly used in hospitals.3 The spores will germinate under the favorable conditions of the intestinal tract, resulting in the multiplication of vegetative cells, colonizing in the gastrointestinal tract. The vegetative cells release two powerful exotoxins upon adherence to the epithelial cells of the GI tract. Pathogenic strains of C. difficile produce two exotoxins: toxin A and toxin B. Toxin A is an enterotoxin that causes fluid excretion, resulting in fluid accumulation and watery diarrhea. Toxin B is a potent
While most people on antibiotics are at the greatest risk of developing Clostridium difficile, there are specific groups of people who also have a chance of being infected. This includes the older population, people who 's immune system is compromised such as cancer patients, people who have a feeding tube, and people who have come in contact with infected patients (Fordtran, 2006, pp. 3). Most cases of Clostridium difficile can be found in a healthcare setting. This includes nursing homes where the older population resides, hospitals where immune compromised patients are receiving treatment as well as patients on antibiotic therapy. (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2017). The bacteria is found in the stool. It is then passed from one person to another through contaminated surfaces. If a person touches a contaminated surface, then their contaminated hand touches their mouth or any other mucus membrane, they are at risk of developing the infection. Clostridium difficile can survive for long periods of time on these contaminated surfaces which is why healthcare settings have the highest record because germs spread quickly (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2017). When in contact with
Clostridium difficile is a highly contagious infection of the colon that's hard to contain and occurs in many health care facilities. With the proper interventions, it can be prevented and contained. The purpose of this paper is to discuss an article about C. diff and give suggestions on how to avoid an outbreak at a health care facility.
Patient might experience mild or sever pain, crampy, and aching that is similar to appendicitis. Passing of gas or stool elimination may reduce the adverse effect of pain. According to spivak & deSouza (2008), patient that are of high risk are those with the history of low-fiber diet, constipation, high intake of red meat, severe dehydration, and aging. The diagnostic tests are barium enema which determines number of diverticula, CBC indicates present of anemia, colonoscopy exposes present of diverticula, CT scan reveals changes in the colon wall, GI bleeding scan that identifies active bleeding, and CBC with differential reveals leukocytosis.
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a pervasive and troublesome bacterium in healthcare. If left untreated it can lead to a plethora of complications—acute, chronic, and even fatal. C. difficile is a gram positive bacillus (with a capsule) and has ideal conditions for growth at around 37°C in an obligate anaerobic environment. In its vegetative state, C. difficile contains multiple flagella for motility within the intestinal tract; 1 however, once outside of its ideal environment, or through active shedding, it’s left latent within its hardy endospore until it is in its ideal environment once again.
Clostridium difficile is shed in excrement. Any surface, gadget, or material (e.g., cabinets, showering tubs, and electronic rectal thermometers) that gets to be defiled with excrement may serve as a repository for theClostridium difficile spores. Clostridium difficile spores are exchanged to patients predominantly through the hands of medicinal services staff who have touched a polluted surface or
Clostridium difficile or more commonly called C. difficile or C. diff is a spore producing rod shaped bacterium that can cause infections of which result in a broad spectrum of disease ranging from mild diarrhea and fever to pseudomembranous colitis and life threating inflammation of the colon. C. difficile commonly located in the feces of humans and is spread though spores. Over the last 20 years the prevalence of healthcare-associated C. difficile infection (CDI) has increased to an estimated prevalence of colonization as high as 50% in hospitalized patients. (Cohen et al., 2010) This rise in prevalence is associated with new epidemic strains of C. diff that, are causing in an increase of incidence and disease severity. C. difficile infections are most commonly associated with healthcare facilities like hospitals and long-term care facilities and are also the most common cause of infectious diarrhea in the healthcare setting. With the disease severity on the rise people who are most at risk are generally the ones already in the hospital and have lower immune response. C. difficile’s main rout of transmission is through direct or indirect contact with spores on a contaminated surface. After contact whether a person develops C. difficile or not, is directly connected with a person’s immune response. If the disease is contracted there are a variety of treatments available. Prevention before contraction is the main source of struggle with C. difficile especially in the
Clostridium difficile is a gut infection that infects 500,000 americans yearly and get around 14,000 of the infected people die from the infection. Treatment for it costs a lot and is uncomfortable. Dr.Thomas Louie has created a cheap and more comfortable alternative known as “poop pills.” It's not really feces just stool bugs. They take the poop/stool/feces from donors, take out the stool bugs, clean and sterilize them, while keeping them alive. Then they tripple coated in a gel coating. A couple days before the treatment, patients take antibiotics to kill the bacteria and have fresh, infectious bacteria that haven’t done anything yet. The day of the treatment people down 24-34 pills all in one sitting. Dr. Louie has tested
Clostridium difficile is a bacterium that is found in the human colonic flora that can cause diarrhea and more serious conditions, such as colitis. This occurs if the physiological bacterial flora is changed or damaged due to prolonged antibiotic use and if the concentration of C. difficile increases significantly. The prolonged antibiotic use enables C. difficile to multiply and produce large amounts of dangerous toxins. Therapy for those who suffer from this includes rehydration, immediate stop of the causative antibiotic (usually clindamycin or amoxicillin), and new antibiotics to reverse the symptoms such as vancomycin. C. difficile is easily transmitted within hospital settings because its spores are resistant to the commonly used alcohol
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is an anaerobic, Gram-positive, bacillus-shaped bacterium that causes the disease Clostridium Difficile Infection (CDI). One of the reasons this particular species is so successful and disease-causing is because it possesses the ability to form spores, which makes it very difficult to eradicate, as these spores are able to survive extreme conditions. C. difficile flourishes in the gastrointestinal tracts of individuals who have been prescribed broad spectrum antibiotics, as these tend to disrupt the normal microbiota. If an individual has previously contracted CDI, the likelihood of future infection(s) is more likely than if it were never contracted, at a rate of ~35%. The aim of this study, which is actually the first of its kind, is to utilize the probiotic Lactobacillus casei Shirota (L. casei Shirota) to attempt to suppress the recurrence of CDI after an initial infection. Probiotics contain a live strain(s) of “healthy” bacteria that help rather than harm an individual, and they work by competing with C. difficile’s
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most common cause of antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD). Rapid diagnosis of CDI is essential to prevent hospital spread of infection. The aims were to determine the prevalence of CDI among cases of AAD in Zagazig University Hospitals, identify risk factors, and evaluate real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA), against toxigenic culture (TC). Stools were collected from 150 patients with AAD. They were tested for TC, toxin A/B EIA, and C. difficile tcdA/tcdB genes. Thirty four toxigenic C. difficile isolates were obtained (22.7%) out of the 150 patients and those patients were considered positive for CDI. On the other hand, 6 non-toxigenic C. difficile isolates were obtained (4%), while culture of the remaining 110 patients (73.3%) did not yield C. difficile. The later 116 patients (77.3%) were considered negative for CDI. Analysis of risk factors revealed that advanced age, prolonged hospitalization, long duration of antibiotic intake, potentiated penicillins, 3rd generation cephalosporins, antibiotic combined therapy, liver cirrhosis, malignancy, proton pump inhibitors, enteral tube feeding, and cancer chemotherapy were significantly associated with CDI. Sensitivitiy, specificitiy, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of real-time PCR against TC were all 100%, however, values of EIA were 79.4%, 100%, 100%, 94.3%, 95.3%, respectively. Conclusion: CDI is an
This paper will briefly discuss what Clostridium Difficile is, how it is transferred, and what nursing actions can be in place to help protect the patients and myself.
Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic bacillus bacteria. Clostridium difficile infection is considered one of the healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the leading cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea (antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis). C. difficile exists in soil, food and colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of several animals and human beings.1 It is estimated that about 5–15% of adults, up to 84.4% of newborns and infants, and nearly 57% of long-term care facilities’ residents are carriers of C. difficile. 2
The fecal transplant cured the C. difficile bacteria by giving the patient good bacteria like L. reuteri or B .fragilis which sticks to the gut wall and then produces substances that the gut cells need to protect and repair themselves which intend helps fight off the C. difficile bacteria. When the patient got infected by C. difficile bacteria they had low amounts of bacteria so they had no good bacteria to fight off the bad bacteria but when thay had the fecal transplant the C. difficile got fought off by the good bacteria. The patient on week 7 had a low amount of bacteria and had C. difficile and no go bacteria to fight off the C.difficile but since there are low amounts of bacteria C. difficile easily infected there
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a gram positive, rod shaped, anaerobic bacteria. It causes a range of diseases ranging from benign diarrhoea to pseudomembranous colitis which is inflammation of the colon (1). Our intestinal homeostasis is maintained by several elements such as a complex microbial community which accounts for 70% of total microbiota in humans, tight epithelial barrier and immune tolerance. Certain antibiotics can disrupt this homeostasis resulting in an increase in colonisation from pathogens e.g. C. difficile leading to a development of full phenotype C. difficile infection (CDI) which requires the previous use of antibiotics (1,2, 3).