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FMT restores dysbiosis with MRSA enteritis
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Fecal microbiota transplantation could help restore the pathological imbalances within the resident microbes caused by enterocolitis, according to findings published in BMC Infectious Diseases.
“Until now, vancomycin is the first choice for treating MSRA enteritis, but we here suggest [fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)] as a first-line measure to cure the dysbiosis caused by MSRA,” the researchers wrote.
Yao Wei, MD, of Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, China, and colleagues studied five patients (three men, two women; aged 19 to 45 years) diagnosed with MRSA enteritis.
Patients were not on proton pump inhibitors and had no history of MRSA prior to operation, performed for pathologies including Crohn’s disease, pancreatic cancer and congenital intestinal malrotation. MRSA etiology was determined through gastric juice cultures.
During the early postoperative period, patients received vancomycin (2 g/day) and FMT once daily for 3 consecutive days.
Stool donors had not received antibiotic therapy in the preceding 6 months and were negative for intestinal diseases, gastrointestinal infections, autoimmune or other immune-mediated diseases, or any malignancies. All stool also was tested for Clostridium difficile, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, Campylobacter and parasites.
Patients had a 100% clinical response rate; all symptoms resulting from MRSA enterocolitis had disappeared, and MRSA in feces was eliminated. Further, the microbiota profile in patients’ feces also regained balance.
“We still couldn’t tell whether vancomycin or the effective competition of transplanted intestinal flora suppresses MRSA because patients accepted vancomycin at the same time. But ... intestinal flora was restored ... and reached a new balance,” the researchers wrote.
The investigators noted vancomycin did not kill transplanted microbes in a short period of time, but that long-term effects still warrant further investigation. – by Allegra Tiver
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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