Magic Poop Fecal Microbial Transplantation FTM for Ulcerative Colitis

Video Transcript:

Treating Clostridium difficile with fecal microbial transplantation. A healthy digestive system is home to thousands of bacteria. The intestinal tract includes the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, which is also known as the colon. In most cases these microbes are harmless or even beneficial to a healthy individual. However, conditions that require treatment with antibiotics can kill off many of the good bacteria in the colon, allowing the bad bacteria, called Clostridium difficile to take over. Toxins released by Clostridium difficile can damage the lining of the colon, a condition known as Clostridium difficile colitis. Clostridium difficile infection can lead to life-threatening complications, such as toxic mega-colon, where the colon becomes dangerously enlarged. Clostridium difficile is normally treated with a course of antibiotics, but recurrent infection occur in between 20% to 60% of patients after an initial episode. The standard treatment for recurrent infection is antibiotics, but in cases where this fails, there is a new alternative treatment. An emerging solution for patients with recurrent infection is fecal microbial transplantation, or FMT. Also known as stool transplantation, FMT restores good bacteria in the colon by using the good bacteria from a donor. Stool samples are obtained from healthy donors and are screened to ensure there are no infectious diseases. There are different ways to introduce the good bacteria, but one common way is with a colonoscopy. First, the stool is prepared by blending it with normal saline, which is a saltwater solution. Using a colonoscope, this mixture can be applied to the entire length of the colon. Studies have shown that over 90% of patients treated with fecal microbial transplantation are cured with no significant side effects reported to date. Please speak to your doctor about fecal microbial transplantation if you are considering this treatment.