Fecal Transplant Is Linked to a Patient’s Death, the F.D.A. Warns(nytimes.com)
nytimes.com
Fecal Transplant Is Linked to a Patient’s Death, the F.D.A. Warns
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/13/health/fecal-transplant-fda.html
9 comments
Yeah, I hope they don't stop them. I know someone that works in fecal transplants in Wellington hospital and it literally is a miracle cure for some people.
> I can’t imagine who decided to transplant untested fecal matter...
There are plenty of people out there doing DIY transplants, believe it or not. Personally I think eating a varied and balanced diet is more useful for your gut microbiome's long-term health but I can't deny that the research into this field seems promising for some health conditions.
There are plenty of people out there doing DIY transplants, believe it or not. Personally I think eating a varied and balanced diet is more useful for your gut microbiome's long-term health but I can't deny that the research into this field seems promising for some health conditions.
I think the one that started this one was Josiah Zayner.[1]
https://www.theverge.com/2016/5/4/11581994/fmt-fecal-matter-...
https://www.theverge.com/2016/5/4/11581994/fmt-fecal-matter-...
While I agree... if someone has had some very strong antibiotics, getting back to anything resembling healthy doesn't work for a lot of people. A lot of what you bring in gets killed before it reaches your gut and even then there's evidence that quite a bit is passed on from the mother even.
I guess they decided to take the matter into their own hands.
It sounds like a straightforward addition to the studies' protocol; survey donors and exclude those likely to harbor drug resistant bacteria (presumably those who have been on antibiotics recently) and screen the samples for harmful, drug-resistant pathogens. Hopefully this isn't too hard as this technique has always struck me as an elegant solution to an awful problem. I wonder if it's possible to bake a short term self destruct into these transplants so that any infections that occur can be easily destroyed.
The natural way to destroy it would be with antibiotics , and the problem here is the problem bacteria is resistant to most.
Pardon my ignorance, but aren't fecal transplants for introducing certain bacteria back into the intestinal tract? I'd imagine any antibiotics used to destroy problematic bacteria would render the procedure useless.
Switch to phage treatment of the donor material?
Even more experimental, and you cannot introduce bacterial species this way.
“Fecal transplants have come into increasing use to treat severe intestinal disorders, particularly an infection caused by a bacterium called Clostridium difficile, which can be deadly and tends to occur in hospitalized patients who have been heavily treated with antibiotics. The idea behind the transplants is to use stool from a healthy donor to restore the normal balance of bacteria and other organisms in the intestine, the microbiome.
In some cases, the transplants have worked quickly and saved the lives of patients who were wasting away with uncontrollable diarrhea. But the procedure is not approved by the F.D.A. and is considered experimental.”
For anyone else wondering what this procedure is for.
In some cases, the transplants have worked quickly and saved the lives of patients who were wasting away with uncontrollable diarrhea. But the procedure is not approved by the F.D.A. and is considered experimental.”
For anyone else wondering what this procedure is for.
There are a number of pathogens in some blood and plasma donations that are usually not screened. Babesia, a parasite similar to malaria but less severe, has been passed along by blood donors. The FDA did approve something in the middle of last year for testing blood, but it's unclear how widespread the testing is.
Why not let the free market solve the problem?
Find fit, healthy, young people, with a clear medical history and that pass all tests, and let them make regular donations in return for payment?
It still strikes me as odd that we don't allow or encourage a free market for blood, semen, egg donation.
Find fit, healthy, young people, with a clear medical history and that pass all tests, and let them make regular donations in return for payment?
It still strikes me as odd that we don't allow or encourage a free market for blood, semen, egg donation.
How would that solve the problem of dangerous bacteria in some people's donations?
The free market version of solving this problem is counting on some transplant places to do adequate testing of donations. The ones that don't will accidentally kill more people, and presumably they'll lose business over it, and eventually they'll be forced out of the market - maybe.
The free market version of solving this problem is counting on some transplant places to do adequate testing of donations. The ones that don't will accidentally kill more people, and presumably they'll lose business over it, and eventually they'll be forced out of the market - maybe.
The article clearly states that it has ordered fecal donor material be tested before being transplanted.
Saying “halts clinical trials” implies they are no longer allowed, which is not true.
I can’t imagine who decided to transplant untested fecal matter...