Hyderabad: Faecal transplant is being opted for as a form of treatment in those who are suffering from chronic diarrhoea, as the increasing incidence of antibiotic resistance in clostridium colitis has made the standard treatment ineffective in patients. Due to this reason, those who suffer from this form of chronic diarrhoea are being given this treatment. Sixty cases of faecal transplant on experimental basis have been carried out in Indian patients suffering from chronic diarrhoea. Globally more than 10,000 patients have undergone the treatment.
Dr. B Ravi Shankar, organising secretary of Telangana Gastroenterology Association and senior gastroenterologist at Sunshine Hospitals explained, “The treatment is so far approved for clostridium colitis and ulcerative colitis which are chronic forms of diarrhoea. The incidence of antibiotic resistance in clostridium colitis is not very high in India when compared to the West. Hence, this treatment is only to be given when the patient has exhausted all the standard treatments. It is not for all. In the case of ulcerative colitis, we have many drugs and that is why, only if it comes to the level where the medicine does not work, is this to be taken up.”
The clinical cases carried out in Hyderabad were on clostridium colitis where the patient had exhausted all options. However, do they require psychological counselling before opting for the treatment?
Dr. Shankar explained, “We tell them that they require good bacteria to be transferred into their body and that will be available only in a donor’s poop. The patients are in a critical stage, and treatment by introducing healthy bacteria would help them recover. Most of them agree as it is the only treatment option.”
Stool transplantation or therapeutic manipulation of the gut microbiome for enhancing gut health has been recognised as the treatment for gut infections. Dr. Rupa Banerjee, Senior consultant gastroenterologist at the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology explained, “This therapy is aimed at introducing new beneficial microbes to the patient and is found to be life-saving. Patients with chronic diarrhoea can get into complications and this therapy has proved to be beneficial to them. The recent American Gut Project is the World’s Largest Citizen Science Microbiome Project featuring 15,000-plus samples from over 11,000 individuals in 42 countries. These studies have shown how factors such as diet, antibiotics and mental health status can influence the microbial and molecular make-up of the gut. The gut therapy is being clinically tried for a variety of diseases where obesity and liver diseases are also being looked into.” While there are poop banks in the West, in India a healthy donor is selected and his blood t
est is carried out for ruling out diseases and infections. The donor’s poop is then collected, diluted in saline and then transplanted into the large intestine. It is found that the bacteria help control chronic diarrhea, and the patient recovers. The dosage depends on the condition of the patient and can vary from 100 ml to 200 ml. The procedures can be repeated if the patient’s recovery is slow. The cost of the procedure in India is Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000.
