NICE Recommends Fecal Microbiota Transplant for Recurrent C. Diff Infections

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is recommending fecal microbiota transplants for National Health Service patients with Clostridium difficile (C. diff) who have been treated for two or more C. diff infections without success.

The transplant delivers gut bacteria from a healthy donor’s feces to treat the infections. The delivery options include through a tube inserted directly into the stomach through the nose, deposited directly into the colon through a tube or swallowed through a pill.

NICE said the clinical trial evidence showed that the transplants are significantly better than antibiotics alone in resolving C. diff infections in the recommended patient population. The transplants could resolve up to 94 percent of infections, the agency said.