“The population studied (in the French study) was older than many other studies and again showed that FMT is effective in the elderly, who, of note, are more prone to CDI and to severe CDI and have a higher mortality than a younger population,” said Dr. Brandt, who was not involved in the new work.

“I do not think that FMT can be recommended as first-line therapy before long-term safety has been proven, which will take years and is the basis for the creation of the national FMT registry,” he said. “I believe that FMT is safe in the short-term, and when risk of death from CDI is high and there is no response to conventional antibiotics, I do not hesitate to resort to FMT. Earlier FMT is better than later FMT for patients very sick with CDI.”

Dr. Giovanni Cammarota from “A. Gemelli” University Hospital in Rome, who recently reported on the European consensus conference on FMT in clinical practice, told Reuters Health by email, “To date, FMT is recommended by international guidelines for the management of recurrent or refractory C. difficile infection. This study, in line with other reports, shows that FMT is effective against severe C. difficile infection, and should be introduced into the therapeutic algorithm of this condition in synergy with other therapeutic option (antibiotics, surgery).”

“As severe CDI is a life-threatening disease, dedicated protocols, including FMT, are therefore necessary to offer patients the best therapeutic option to cure this condition,” said Dr. Cammarota, who also was not involved in the study. “FMT is not an experimental treatment anymore; it could change the natural history of CDI in patients in clinical practice.”