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11/02/2024 09:44:05 am

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Fecal Pills Can Treat Deadly Bacterial Infection

Pills Containing Fecal Matter

(Photo : FACEBOOK) Pills Containing Fecal Matter

A new study has revealed that pills made from human fecal material can cure a deadly infection caused by the Clostrodium difficile bacteria.

According to the study, the "poop pills" may be a better alternative to treat C. difficile infections, than other existing methods of utilizing fecal bacteriotherapy or fecal microbiotia transplants (FMT), to eliminate symptoms of the bacterial infection.

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Dr. Ilan Youngster, of the Massachusetts General Hospital's pediatric infectious diseases department, said that previous studies have shown that FMT is an effective way of treating the deadly infection and preventing it from recurring.

In addition, Youngster, who is one of the main scientists who conducted the study, released a statement saying that all other procedures used to treat the C. diff infection had risks and created discomfort for the patients.

According to Mass General physician, Dr. Elizabeth Hohmann, other methods of treating the infection, such as colonoscopy, is a cause of worry not only to patients but doctors as well.

"It's scary,' she said. "Patients could vomit or inhale fecal matter."

The study on the pills as a form of FMT was conducted in Massachusetts General, and involved 20 patients, from ages 11 to 84, who have had recurring cases of C. diff infection.

For two straight days, the participants were asked to take in the 'acid-resistant pills, which contained fecal matter" that were taken from meticulously chosen stool donors, which were filtered, diluted and were frozen, before placed into capsules.

The participants who showed no signs of improvement within three days were offered another course of treatment.

The result of the research revealed that in 14 of the participants, their infection was cured in just one treatment, and during the next eight weeks following the administration of the pills, the infection did not recur.

The other six patients required a second treatment, and five of them were cured with no recurrence, while one experienced a recurrence even after getting a second treatment.

According to the scientists, the results suggested a 90 percent success rate for the use of the pills.

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