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New Delhi
UK's health regulator National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) on Wednesday gave the green light to medical practitioners to use a treatment process which involves poo transplant to treat patients struggling with superbugs.
It may sound a tad dirty at the outset to the readers but the doctors will be using faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) to treat patients who have been unsuccessfully treated for two or more Clostridium difficile (C diff) infections.
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In the treatment, which is being dubbed revolutionary, the gut bacteria of a sick and unhealthy patient will be restored from the gut bacteria and other microorganisms of a healthy donor's poo.
According to doctors, C diff is a type of bacteria that can cause diarrhoea and often affects those above the age of 65, having weakened immune systems.
The situation can be treated easily using antibiotics. However, in some cases, the bacteria becomes highly resistant to the antibiotic, thereby earning the sobriquet of a superbug.
It is pertinent to note that superbugs are strains of bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites that are resistant to most antibiotic medicines.
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According to Nice, the gut bacteria from the poo of a healthy donor can be delivered to the patient using three different methods.
Firstly, using a tube which is inserted directly into the stomach through the nose. Secondly, it can be deposited directly into the colon through a tube. Thirdly, a simple pill that can be swallowed.
"Use of this treatment will also help reduce the reliance on antibiotics and in turn reduce the chances of antimicrobial resistance, which supports Niceâs guidance on good antimicrobial stewardship.â Mark Chapman, interim director of medical technology at Nice was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
The decision to go ahead with the FMT process was only taken after reviewing evidence from five trials involving over 274 adults. According to the data, the treatment can cure up to 94 per cent of infections.
(With inputs from agencies)
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