BACKGROUND: Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is effective for Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) refractory to standard treatment and is being studied in other diseases.
AIM: To evaluate donor characteristics, procedures and clinical outcomes of FMT.
METHODS: We systematically reviewed FMT studies published up to 29 August 2018 using MEDLINE (R) and EMBASE and identified clinical studies with FMT donor information. We reported data on donor characteristics, screening criteria, administration, clinical outcomes and adverse events.
RESULTS: Among 5267 reports, 239 full-text articles were screened and 168 articles were included. FMT was performed commonly for CDI (n = 108) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (n = 31). We reported characteristics of 1513 donors [58% male; mean age, 34.3 years; mean body mass index, 21.6]. Donors in Asia were younger than the West (mean age 30.7 vs 32.9, P = 0.00075). Less than 50% of studies screened donors for transmittable pathogens. Final cure rate for CDI was 95.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 93.9%-97.1%) and final remission rates for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) were 39.6% (95% CI, 25.4%-54.6%) and 47.5% (95% CI, 29.4%-65.8%), respectively. Cure rates in CDI and final remission rates for CD and UC were comparable across all routes of FMT administration. Overall adverse event incidence was <1%, mostly GI-related. Adverse event rates did not differ significantly between routes of FMT administration or indication.
CONCLUSIONS: In a systematic review assessing donor characteristics and FMT efficacy, we observed heterogeneity in donor selection, application and outcomes of FMT. These data can facilitate standardisation of FMT protocols for various diseases.
BACKGROUND: Evidence concerning the effect of faecal microbiota transplantation [FMT] in Clostridium difficile infection [CDI] patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] has not been firmly established. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate FMT treatment outcomes in patients with IBD treated for CDI.
METHODS: An electronic search of four databases was conducted until November 1, 2017. Cohort studies of FMT efficacy and safety in CDI patients with IBD were included. Pooled effect sizes were calculated with 95% confidence intervals [CI] using a random-effects model.
RESULTS: Nine cohort studies comprising a total of 346 CDI patients with IBD were included. The initial cure rate was 81% [95% CI = 76%-85%] and the overall cure rate was up to 89% [95% CI = 83%-93%], both with no significant heterogeneity. The recurrence rate was 19% [95% CI = 13%-27%] with moderate heterogeneity [Cochran's Q, p = 0.19; I2 = 33%]. There was no significant difference in the CDI cure rate after FMT in patients with and without IBD (risk ratio [RR] = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.81-1.05; Cochran's Q, p = 0.06; I2 = 53%). Subgroup analysis revealed a similar CDI treatment effects after FMT in patients with Crohn's disease and in those with ulcerative colitis [p = 0.1804]. Four studies reported adverse events of IBD flares.
CONCLUSIONS: FMT is an effective therapy for CDI in patients with IBD. Well-designed randomised controlled trials and well-conducted microbiological studies are needed to validate its efficacy and safety.
BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection is a major cause of nosocomial diarrhoea.
AIM: To evaluate long-term (≥90 days) efficacy and safety of faecal microbiota transplantation for C. difficile infection and explore the factors affecting the faecal microbiota transplantation outcomes.
METHODS: MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library and EMBASE were searched and only observational studies that utilised faecal microbiota transplantation for C. difficile infection with long-term follow-up duration (≥90 days) were included. Primary cure rate, overall recurrence rate and early (<90 days) and late (≥90 days) recurrence rate were calculated.
RESULTS: Eighteen observational studies with 611 patients were included. The primary cure rate was 91.2% (95% confidence interval, CI 86.7-94.8%). The overall recurrence rate was 5.5% (95% CI 2.2-10.3%). The early recurrence rate and late recurrence rate were 2.7% (95% CI 0.7-6.0%) and 1.7% (95% CI 0.4-4.2%) respectively. Most adverse events were expected, short-lived, self-limited and manageable. The association between faecal microbiota transplantation therapy and adverse events such as inflammatory bowel disease flare, infectious disease and autoimmune disease was a concern but remained insignificant. Old age (≥65 years) was identified as a risk factor for after faecal microbiota transplantation therapy. Upper gastrointestinal administration also results in less frequent primary cure.
CONCLUSIONS: Faecal microbiota transplantation seems to be a highly effective and robust therapy for recurrent C. difficile infection. However, more quality studies, such as randomised controlled trials and cohort studies with control groups, are needed to confirm its long-term efficacy and safety.
BACKGROUND: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a microbiota-based therapy that shows therapeutic potential in recurrent or refractory Clostridium difficile infections and other intestinal or extra-intestinal disorders. Nonetheless, adverse events (AEs) remain a major challenge in the application of FMT.
AIM: To review the AEs of FMT and to address the concerns of safety during the procedure.
METHODS: Publications were retrieved in the databases of Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library. AEs were classified according to their causality with FMT or their severity.
RESULTS: A total of 7562 original articles about FMT were identified in this study, 50 of them fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Totally 78 kinds of AEs were revealed enrolled in these 50 selected publications. The total incidence rate of AEs was 28.5%. Among the 42 publications, 5 kinds were definitely and 38 kinds were probably related to FMT. The commonest FMT-attributable AE was abdominal discomfort, which was reported in 19 publications. For upper gastrointestinal routes of FMT, 43.6% (89/204) patients were compromised by FMT-attributable AE, while the incidence dropped to 17.7% (76/430) for lower gastrointestinal routes. In contrast, the incidences of serious adverse events (SAEs) were 2.0% (4/196) and 6.1% (40/659) for upper and lower gastrointestinal routes, respectively. A total of 44 kinds of SAEs occurred in 9.2% patients, including death (3.5%, 38/1089), infection (2.5%, 27/1089), relapse of inflammatory bowel diseases (0.6%, 7/1089) and Clostridium difficile infection (0.9%, 10/1089).
CONCLUSION: Consequently, both AEs and SAEs are not rare and should be carefully monitored throughout FMT. However, high quality randomized controlled trials are still needed for the more definite incidence of AEs of FMT.
OBJECTIVE: Update a 2011 review of differences in accuracy of diagnostic tests and the effects of interventions to prevent and treat Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in adults.
DATA SOURCES: Medline(®), the Cochrane Clinical Trials Registry, and Embase(®) from 2010 through April 2015 plus reference lists of included studies and recent systematic reviews.
METHODS: Two investigators screened abstracts and full texts of identified references for eligibility. Eligible studies included studies of sensitivity and specificity for diagnostic tests in patients at risk for CDI. We included randomized controlled trials or high-quality cohort studies enrolling adult patients with CDI or suspected CDI for treatment interventions. Prevention studies also included adult patients at risk for CDI and observational study designs. Two investigators extracted data, assessed individual study risk of bias, and evaluated the strength of evidence for each comparison and outcome. Pooled estimates were analyzed to assess the efficacy and comparative effectiveness of a variety of treatments.
RESULTS: We identified 37 diagnostic studies and 56 studies evaluating prevention or treatment interventions to update the review. High-strength evidence showed that nucleic amplification tests were sensitive and specific for CDI when using culture as the reference standard. Low-strength evidence was found that some institutional prevention interventions, such as antibiotic prescribing practices and transmission interruption (terminal room cleaning with hydrogen peroxide vapor and handwashing campaigns), reduce CDI incidence. Low-strength evidence also suggested that prevention programs can be sustained over several years. For CDI treatment, vancomycin is more effective than metronidazole (high-strength evidence), and the effect does not vary by severity (moderate-strength evidence). Fidaxomicin remains noninferior to vancomycin for the initial cure of CDI (moderate-strength evidence) but is superior to vancomycin for prevention of recurrent CDI (now high-strength evidence). Although both fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and probiotics were the subject of a significant number of new studies, the overall high risk of bias of many of these studies necessitated ratings of low strength of evidence. Specifically, low-strength evidence suggests that FMT may have a significant effect on reducing recurrent CDI. Similarly, low-strength evidence suggests that lactobaccilus strains and multiorganism probiotics also can reduce recurrent CDI. However, Saccharomyces boulardii was no more effective than placebo in preventing recurrent CDI. Evidence for FMT for refractory CDI was insufficient. Few studies reported adverse events; when reported, few events were noted.
CONCLUSIONS: Research on diagnostic testing for and interventions to treat CDI expanded considerably in 4 years. Nucleic acid amplification tests have high sensitivity and specificity for CDI. Vancomycin is more effective than metronidazole for initial CDI, while fidaxomicin is more effective than vancomycin for the prevention of recurrent CDI. FMT and lactobacillus probiotics to restore colonic biodiversity and improve patient resistance to CDI or recurrence have low-strength but relatively consistent positive evidence for efficacy.
AIM: To study the clinical efficacy and safety of Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). We systematically reviewed FMT used as clinical therapy.
METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and Conference proceedings from inception to July, 2013. Treatment effect of FMT was calculated as the percentage of patients who achieved clinical improvement per patient category, on an intention-to-treat basis.
RESULTS: We included 45 studies; 34 on Clostridium difficile-infection (CDI), 7 on inflammatory bowel disease, 1 on metabolic syndrome, 1 on constipation, 1 on pouchitis and 1 on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In CDI 90% resolution of diarrhea in 33 case series (n = 867) was reported, and 94% resolution of diarrhea after repeated FMT in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) (n = 16). In ulcerative colitis (UC) remission rates of 0% to 68% were found (n = 106). In Crohn's disease (CD) (n = 6), no benefit was observed. In IBS, 70% improvement of symptoms was found (n = 13). 100% Reversal of symptoms was observed in constipation (n = 3). In pouchitis, none of the patients (n = 8) achieved remission. One RCT showed significant improvement of insulin sensitivity in metabolic syndrome (n = 10). Serious adverse events were rare.
CONCLUSION: FMT is highly effective in CDI, and holds promise in UC. As for CD, chronic constipation, pouchitis and IBS data are too limited to draw conclusions. FMT increases insulin sensitivity in metabolic syndrome.
BACKGROUND: The role of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is not well-known.
PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy, comparative effectiveness, and harms of FMT for CDI.
DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (1980 to January 2015), Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov, followed by hand-searching references from systematic reviews and identified studies.
STUDY SELECTION: Any study of FMT to treat adult patients with CDI; case reports were only used to report harms.
DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted by 1 author and verified by another; 2 authors independently assessed risk of bias and strength of evidence.
DATA SYNTHESIS: Two randomized, controlled trials (RCTs); 28 case-series studies; and 5 case reports were included. Two RCTs and 21 case-series studies (516 patients receiving FMT) reported using FMT for patients with recurrent CDI. A high proportion of treated patients had symptom resolution; however, the role of previous antimicrobials is unclear. One RCT comparing FMT with 2 control groups (n = 43) reported resolution of symptoms in 81%, 31%, and 23% of the FMT, vancomycin, or vancomycin-plus-bowel lavage groups, respectively (P < 0.001 for both control groups vs. FMT). An RCT comparing FMT route (n = 20) reported no difference between groups (60% in the nasogastric tube group and 80% in the colonoscopy group; P = 0.63). Across all studies for recurrent CDI, symptom resolution was seen in 85% of cases. In 7 case-series studies of patients with refractory CDI, symptom resolution ranged from 0% to 100%. Among 7 patients treated with FMT for initial CDI, results were mixed.
LIMITATION: Most studies were uncontrolled case-series studies; only 2 RCTs were available for analysis.
CONCLUSION: Fecal microbiota transplantation may have a substantial effect with few short-term adverse events for recurrent CDI. Evidence is insufficient on FMT for refractory or initial CDI treatment and on whether effects vary by donor, preparation, or delivery method.
PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
GOAL: By systematic review, we assessed the impact of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for the treatment of Clostridium difficile (CD)-associated diarrhea.
BACKGROUND: Fecal microbiota microbiota transplantation from a healthy donor into an individual with CD infection (CDI) can resolve symptoms.
STUDY: We conducted systematic searches in PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. The last search was run on February 8, 2013. The following Medical Subject Headings terms and keywords were used alone or in combination: Clostridium difficile; Clostridium infection; pseudomembranous colitis; feces; stools; fecal suspension; fecal transplantation; fecal transfer; fecal infusion; microbiota; bacteriotherapy; enema; nasogastric tube; colonoscopy; gastroscopy; fecal donation; donor. A critical appraisal of the clinical research evidence on the effectiveness and safety of FMT for the treatment of patients with CD-associated diarrhea was made.
RESULTS: Twenty full-text case series, 15 case reports, and 1 randomized controlled study were included for the final analysis. Almost all patients treated with donors' fecal infusion experienced recurrent episodes of CD-associated diarrhea despite standard antibiotic treatment. Of a total of 536 patients treated, 467 (87%) experienced resolution of diarrhea. Diarrhea resolution rates varied according to the site of infusion: 81% in the stomach; 86% in the duodenum/jejunum; 93% in the cecum/ascending colon; and 84% in the distal colon. No severe adverse events were reported with the procedure.
CONCLUSIONS: FMT seems efficacious and safe for the treatment of recurrent CDI. Hospitals should encourage the development of fecal transplantation programs to improve therapy of local patients.
BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) recurs in nearly one-third of patients who develop an initial infection. Recurrent CDI (RCDI) is associated with considerable morbidity, mortality, and cost. Treatment for RCDI has not been not well examined. METHODS: A systematic review. RESULTS: Sixty-four articles were identified evaluating eight different treatment approaches: metronidazole, vancomycin, fidaxomicin, nitazoxanide, rifampin, immunoglobulins, probiotics, and fecal bacteriotherapy. The meta-analysis found vancomycin to have a similar efficacy to metronidazole, although studies used varying doses and durations of therapy. Fidaxomicin was slightly more efficacious than vancomycin, though the number of studies was small. Good evidence for probiotics was limited. Fecal bacteriotherapy was found to be highly efficacious in a single randomized trial. CONCLUSION: Metronidazole and vancomycin have good evidence for use in RCDI but heterogeneity in treatment duration and dose precludes robust conclusions. Fidaxomicin may have a role in treatment, but evidence is limited to subgroup analyses. Fecal bacteriotherapy was the most efficacious. Saccharomyces boulardii may have a role as adjunctive treatment.
The purpose of this article is to perform a systematic review of the literature on the use of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).There is an increasing interest of both physicians and patients in assessing the possible role of the FMT in the treatment of IBD.Electronic and manual bibliographic searches were performed to identify original reports in which subjects with IBD were treated with FMT. Because of the scarcity of studies with adequate sample size, case series and case reports were also considered. A critical appraisal of the clinical research evidence on the effectiveness, safety, and other parameters related to FMT was made. Data extraction was independently performed by 2 reviewers.We found a total of 31 publications on the use of FMT in IBD. The majority were case reports or case series, whereas 8 publications reported data from open-label trials including a very less number of patients. A total of 133 patients with IBD were managed with FMT. Of these, 57 subjects (43%) had a Clostridium difficile infection. A resolution or reduction of symptoms was reported in 80 of 113 (71%) patients with evaluable IBD. Moreover, FMT does not seem to provide the same safety profile showed for non-IBD individuals with C difficile infection.The available evidence is limited and weak. FMT has the potential to be somehow of help in managing patients with IBD, but considerable further efforts are necessary to make this procedure a valid option for these subjects.
Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is effective for Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) refractory to standard treatment and is being studied in other diseases.
AIM:
To evaluate donor characteristics, procedures and clinical outcomes of FMT.
METHODS:
We systematically reviewed FMT studies published up to 29 August 2018 using MEDLINE (R) and EMBASE and identified clinical studies with FMT donor information. We reported data on donor characteristics, screening criteria, administration, clinical outcomes and adverse events.
RESULTS:
Among 5267 reports, 239 full-text articles were screened and 168 articles were included. FMT was performed commonly for CDI (n = 108) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (n = 31). We reported characteristics of 1513 donors [58% male; mean age, 34.3 years; mean body mass index, 21.6]. Donors in Asia were younger than the West (mean age 30.7 vs 32.9, P = 0.00075). Less than 50% of studies screened donors for transmittable pathogens. Final cure rate for CDI was 95.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 93.9%-97.1%) and final remission rates for ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) were 39.6% (95% CI, 25.4%-54.6%) and 47.5% (95% CI, 29.4%-65.8%), respectively. Cure rates in CDI and final remission rates for CD and UC were comparable across all routes of FMT administration. Overall adverse event incidence was <1%, mostly GI-related. Adverse event rates did not differ significantly between routes of FMT administration or indication.
CONCLUSIONS:
In a systematic review assessing donor characteristics and FMT efficacy, we observed heterogeneity in donor selection, application and outcomes of FMT. These data can facilitate standardisation of FMT protocols for various diseases.
