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Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common and increasing cause of diarrhea in the United States. The incidence of CDI doubled from 98,000 to 178,000 amongst hospital inpatients in the US between the years 1996 and 2003, with an unadjusted case-mortality rate. It is now estimated that there are three million cases of CDI per year in the US in hospitals and long-term care facilities, with an estimated 3.2 billion dollars in excess of care. In the face of this increasing problem, and as the rates of antibiotic failure rise, more research has been aimed at alternative methods of treatment, namely Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT). FMT was first described for the treatment of CDI in 1958 as a way to re-colonize the colon with normal flora bacteria. Since then, its use remains relatively in the background, despite its reported effectiveness, particularly for recurrent CDI. Brandt et al. performed a long-term follow-up for 77 patients who had undergone FMT, finding a primary cure rate of 91% and a secondary cure rate of 98%, with no definite adverse effects to treatment noted.1 Kelly et al. looked at 26 patients with an average of 12.6 months of relapsing CDI before undergoing FMT. Twenty-four of these patients remained diarrhea free, one had a relapse due to cephalexin use, and another had diarrhea 2 months post-FMT that was not tested for C. difficile toxin and treated successfully with 1 week of vancomycin.

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2013-04-19   |   630 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 6 Núm.4. Octubre-Diciembre 2012 Pags. 121-122 Arch Salud Sin 2012; 6(4)