Health Conditions
Recurrent C. difficile Infections
Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a type of bacteria that causes an infection in the colon by emitting toxins that damage colonic tissue. C. difficile is common, and infects about half a million people in the United States every year.
Symptoms
Patients with recurrent C. difficile infections can experience:
Diarrhea
Fever
Abdominal pain
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Dehydration
Inflammation of the colon
Weakness
Fatigue
Causes
C. difficile bacteria are spread through feces from person to person and the bacteria can also be found in the environment in spore form. Spores have a protective coating that allows them to remain dormant, surviving on surfaces and in soil for months to years.
Treatment
Standard treatment for C. difficile includes antibiotics, which kill both beneficial bacteria and C. difficile bacteria. For some patients, C. difficile spores remain in the colon after antibiotic treatment, ready to germinate into their toxin-producing form. This cycle results in recurrent C. difficile infections. Microbiota Transplant Therapy is a treatment that replenishes the colon with healthy gut microbiota, with the aim of preventing recurrent infections. Patients with severe and life-threatening, fulminant C. difficile infections run the risk of colon rupture. If other treatments aren’t successful, some patients require surgical removal of the colon.
Microbiota Therapy Research
Research partners at the University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Indiana University, Brown University, and Harvard University have all contributed to C. difficile research regarding clinical treatment of C. difficile with Fecal Microbiota Therapy (FMT). In addition, researchers at the University of Minnesota monitored stool samples of patients successfully treated with Intestinal Microbiota Transplant capsules for recurrent C. difficile infections over a one-year period. All patients recovered clinically and none had exposure to antibiotics after transplant during the trial period. It was consistently demonstrated that microbial diversity was restored following transplant. For an in-depth analysis of the results, view the publication here.
Clinical Trial: Dietary Optimization of Microbiome Recovery Following Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
Trial Location: University of Minnesota – Minneapolis, MN
Trial Status: Completed
Trial Summary:
This clinical trial is investigating how a Microbiota Enhancing and Nourishing Diet (MEND) can impact gut microbial health in patients who have received a Fecal Microbiota Transplant for recurrent C. difficile infections.
For more information, visit: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05826418C. difficile Clinical Trial Registry
Trial Locations:
University of Minnesota – Minneapolis, MN
Indiana University – Bloomington, IN
Brown University – Providence, RI
Harvard University – Cambridge, MA
Trial Status: Completed
Trial Summary:
Clinicians and providers in this collaborative trial treated patients with recurrent C. difficile infections through Intestinal Microbiota Transplants and maintained a single registry evaluating clinical results.Clinical Trial: Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for C. difficile Infection in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients
Trial Location:
University of Wisconsin, Madison – Madison, WI
Trial Status: Terminated
Trial Summary:
A phase 2 double blind, double placebo-controlled clinical trial studying the impact of Fecal Microbiota Transplant in treating recurrent C. difficile Infections in solid organ transplant recipients. This trial was terminated as a result of COVID-19.
For more information, visit: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03617445
Research Partner Perspectives
2023 Growing Hope Clinical Partner Highlight: Dr. Kelly
2022 Growing Hope Research Update: Dr. Fischer
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