Several publications have described wondrous therapeutic effects of faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) on Clostridioides difficile infection. Yet the recent randomised trial assessing FMT in US veterans was terminated early for futility. In this episode, hosts Angela Huttner and Marc Bonten delve into the history, application, and complexities of FMT with experts Maria Vehreschild (Frankfurt University Hospital, Germany) and Dimitri Drekonja (Minneapolis Veteran Affairs Care System and University of Minnesota, US), who led the US trial. From the regulatory challenges and trial nuances to important new research, this conversation sheds light on a potentially revolutionary yet controversial treatment. 

Episode was edited by Kathryn Hostettler and peer-reviewed by Arjana Zerja (Mother Theresa University Hospital Centre, Tirana, Albania).

Other mentions:

• EurFMT
• European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare. Guide to the quality and safety of tissues and cells for human application. vol. 5th ed. EDQM Council of Europe; 2022. https://freepub.edqm.eu/publications/17/detail 

Literature

• Drekonja DM et al (2024) Clin Infect Dis, doi: 10.1093/cid/ciae467