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‘Poop pills’ as good as colonoscopy to treat C. difficile STOOL CAPSULES COULD BE THE MAGIC PILL FOR TREATMENT OF THE DANGEROUS INFECTION ORIGINAL STORY
PHOTO BY
CBC, NOVEMBER 2017
L AUGHING DOG PHOTOGRAPHY
Dina Kao’s study shows capsules were 96-per-cent effective in treating C. difficile.
WHEN IT COMES to treating Clostridium
that while both methods resulted
microbiota transplant,” Kao said,
difficile (C. diff) with a fecal
in a 96-per-cent success rate in
noting that using the capsules instead
microbiota transplant—yes, human
treating C. diff, the capsules have
of colonoscopy could save the health
poop—swallowing a frozen capsule
many advantages: They are non-
system at least $1,000 per patient.
appears to have far less of an “ick
invasive, less expensive and can be
“From a health-care perspective,
factor” and works as well as delivering
administered in a doctor’s office
I think it becomes a no-brainer,”
the therapy via colonoscopy,
without the patient being sedated.
said Kao. “Why would we be delivering
University of Alberta researchers say.
a transplant by any other route?” Kao believes administering fecal
C. diff is a potentially fatal infection of
microbiota transplant using
“FROM A HEALTH-CARE
the gut marked by severe diarrhea and
capsules—a delivery mode in which
abdominal pain. Outbreaks in hospitals
fecal matter from donors is refined,
PERSPECTIVE, I THINK IT
and long-term care facilities are
then frozen—could help broaden
notoriously challenging to eradicate.
the use of fecal transplants for
The research was funded by Alberta
treating C. diff.
Health Services and the University
A study led by U of A associate
BECOMES A NO-BRAINER.”
Hospital Foundation and published
professor and gastroenterologist Dina
“This will transform the way people
in the Journal of the American
Kao (’94 BSc, ’99 MD, ’08 MSc) found
think about how we deliver fecal
Medical Association.
UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
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