Q. My sister had a knee replacement in October and came home with a C diff infection. Strong antibiotics were tried but nothing helped.
She was so sick that her children rushed her back to the hospital. Her doctor suggested a fecal transplant. That sounded disgusting, but it worked. Her daughter, my niece, was the donor. My sister went back to work this week! We are all delighted it was so effective.
A. Clostridium difficile (C diff) is an intestinal infection that can cause debilitating or even life-threatening diarrhea. Antibiotics are expensive and not always effective.
A recent study found that fecal transplantation can cure hard-to-treat C diff infections in 86 to 92 percent of cases (European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, online March 14, 2014). You can listen to a one-hour interview with gastroenterologist Lawrence Brandt, MD, one of the pioneers in this field, and with Catherine Duff, founder of the Fecal Transplant Foundation at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
