Clostridium difficile, often called "C. difficile" or "C. diff," is a bacterium that commonly causes inflammation of the colon and diarrhea. Risk factors for infection include antibiotic use, inflammatory bowel disease and increasing age. As many as 20% to 30% of patients who are diagnosed with C. difficile get the infection again. In some cases, C. difficile infections are fatal.
Health Quality Ontario Reviews Fecal Microbiota Therapy
Transplanting microbes from the digestive system of a healthy person is a simple way to get a better mix of microbes into a person infected with C. difficile. Fecal microbiota therapy, also known as a stool transplant or a fecal transplant, is the process of transplanting fecal bacteria from a healthy individual into a patient with C. difficile. Compared with using antibiotics, fecal microbiota therapy is effective and appears to represent good value for money for treating recurrent C. difficile infections.
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care endorses this recommendation.
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has provided the following response: The Ministry agrees with this recommendation and encourages hospitals to take-up this innovative, effective, safe, and cost-saving procedure for appropriate patients. The Ministry provides public funding to Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and hospitals to ensure appropriate resources for procedures such as these.