Poop pills could serve as a potential cure for gut infections caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile (C. difficile).
In a recent Centers For Disease Control and Prevention report, Clostridium difficile was listed among the top three bacteria that pose major public health threats in the United States because of their resistance to antibiotics. The report estimates that almost 14,000 deaths each year in the country are caused by this bacterium.
In a peculiar discovery, "poop pills" filled with feces has been found to be a potential cure for gut infections caused by the bacterium.
Between 500 and 700 people have had fecal transplant pills worldwide, doctors estimate. Recent studies have shown that the procedures have been racking up success rates of 90 percent or higher.
In its mild form, the infection can cause watery diarrhea three to four times a day and mild abdominal cramping and tenderness. However, severe infections from the bacteria can cause nausea, fever, a swollen abdomen, dehydration and kidney failure, among other health issues, reports Mayo Clinic.
"At first I thought it was kind of nasty, and a little gross," Shawn Mulligan, of Calgary, Canada, who suffered from severe C. difficile infection, told NBC. "But at that point, I would have done anything."
Dr. Thomas Louie, of the University of Calgary used donated stool, mostly from family members and stuffed them into vitamin-sized capsules. The stool was first cleaned so that only good bacteria were left. The capsule was triple coated so that it didn't dissolve until it reached the intestine.
The pills were tested on 27 patients who had had at least four bouts of the infection in the past. All study participants were first given an antibiotic that killed off the C. difficile a few days before treatment. They then underwent an enema on the day of the treatment so that the good bacteria would go in having "a clean slate."Rather than take the pills in the regular method, the participants were asked to gulp down between 24 and 34 pills in one sitting. After taking the pills, not even one patient had a recurrence.
"The approach that Dr. Louie has is completely novel - no one else has done this," Dr. Curtis Donskey, of the Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, told the AP. "I am optimistic that this type of preparation will make these procedures much easier for patients and for physicians."
