A study, published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, examined the factors associated with first Clostridium difficile infection that predict the use of fecal microbiota transplantation for recurrent C. diff.
Researchers conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study. They compared the clinical characteristics of 200 patients who underwent FMT for recurrent C. diff to 75 patients who did not.
Here are six findings:
1. The time from the first to the second C. diff infection correlated to subsequent FMT use.
2. After performing univariate analysis, researchers found the following factors correlated positively to subsequent FMT:
• Concomitant inflammatory bowel disease
• Use of immunosuppressive therapy
• Use of metronidazole within two months before the first C. diff infection
3. The use of oral vancomycin for the first C. diff infection was more common in those who required FMT than those who did not.
4. However, intravenous vancomycin use within two months before the first C. diff infection reduced the risk for FMT.
5. Black patients with recurrent C. diff were less likely to receive FMT than white patients
6. Patients who received FMT were also less likely to have comorbidities.