Fecal Matter Transplant as a Means of Restoring a Healthy Gut Flora

Peter Bangsund, MD 
Department of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, 
Enloe Medical Center, Chico, CA 

Dr. Bangsund explains that clostidium difficile (aka C.diff) bacteria infections, which cause serious problems in the intestinal tract, are becoming increasingly prevalent and more resistant to antibiotics. To underscore the seriousness of these infections, he point outs that in 2011 alone, this common pathogen caused 500,000 infections and 29,000 deaths. What was considered an unconventional method of treatment is becoming more and more widely used: the introduction of fecal matter from a healthy donor into the patient to promote the growth of normal colonic flora, or a “healthy bacteria population.” Patients have been helped by this procedure; as a result, states Dr. Bangsund, it is becoming a standard of care for treatment of antibiotic-resistant C.diff infections. 

View/Download Transcript 

Recorded: October 30, 2015