Preventing Recurrent Clostridioides difficile Infections with Fecal Microbiota-Based Therapies

A panel of experts provide an overview of the epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile infections, highlighting diagnostic practices and the role of antimicrobial stewardship.

Teena Chopra, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, FSHEA, and Matthew D. Sims, MD, PhD, FACP, FIDSA, provide clinical insights on the rate of recurrence of C. difficile infections and the impact on patients.

Carl V. Crawford, MD, outlines the risk factors for C. difficile infections, focusing on factors that affect the body’s microbiome or immune system, including antibiotics, age, comorbid conditions, exposures, and prior C. difficile infections.

Sahil Khanna, MBBS, MS, outlines patients at risk for recurrent C. difficile infections, and Teena Chopra, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, FSHEA, focuses on environmental considerations that can help prevent transmission.

Paul Feuerstadt, MD, FACG, AGAF, provides clinical insights on diagnostic testing practices for C. difficile infections, highlighting the EIA, GDH, and PCR assays.

Experts on C. difficile infections give an overview of the ACG and IDSA/SHEA treatment guidelines for initial infection, first recurrence, and subsequent recurrences.

Matthew D. Sims, MD, PhD, FACP, FIDSA, discuss how antibiotics do not completely eliminate C. difficile infections, the drivers of recurrence, and new treatments that are addressing eubiosis and C. difficile spores.

Focusing on the treatment of patients with C. difficile infections, Carl V. Crawford, MD, provides clinical insights on medication tapering practices and therapies being utilized by clinicians.

A panel of experts on C. difficile infections discusses risks associated with antibiotic use, including vancomycin-resistant enterococci infections.

The panel review data from foundational studies on fecal microbiota transplantation in patients with C. difficile infections.

Carl V. Crawford, MD, provides a comprehensive overview of the two FDA-approved FMT therapies for patients with recurrent C. difficile infections.

Matthew D. Sims, MD, PhD, FACP, FIDSA, discusses how fecal microbiota transplantation therapies are administered and shares his clinical experience.

Sahil Khanna, MBBS, MS, discusses the effectiveness of live-JSLM (RBL) in preventing the recurrence of C. difficile infections.

Paul Feuerstadt, MD, FACG, AGAF, discusses the key findings from the phase 3 ECOSPOR clinical trial for fecal microbiota spores, live-brpk oral capsules (VAS).

The panel provides insights on common adverse effects associated with fecal microbiota transplantation and analyzes the possibility of FMT products carrying pathogens or food-borne allergens.

Experts on the treatment of patients with C. difficile infections provide insights on the implementation of fecal microbiota transplant products into clinical practices.

Members of the panel discuss when and where they tend to utilize fecal microbiota transplantation for recurrent C. difficile infections in clinical practice.

To close the discussion, experts on C. difficile infections discuss how they talk with patients about fecal microbiota transplantation.