Sahil Khanna, MBBS: Emerging Therapies for C Difficile

Much of the focus in recent years in new therapies for Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI) has centered on fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT).

Fecal microbiota transplantation is a procedure where healthy donor stool is infused to rectify the recipient’s intestinal microbial community by introducing micro-organisms associated with a health state to normalize microbiota composition and function.

This treatment has shown promise, particularly in treating recurrent CDI. However, it can be a struggle finding suitable donors.

Donors are often rejected for a number of reasons, ranging from high body mass index (BMI) to underlying chronic illnesses to recent use of antibiotics.

While it is challenging to find suitable donors, a small sampling of donors can make a big difference.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Sahil Khanna, MBBS, Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, explained why FMT has so much promise and why it is not too concerning that only a small percentage of donor candidates materialize.

Khanna said unlike blood donors who have a limit to how much blood they can donate, a small amount of stool donors are able to produce a large amount of donations.

On October 14, Khanna chaired an HCPLive State of Science event called Institutional Perspectives in Infectious Diseases: Management of C. Difficile.