Fecal transplant may save you from deadly bacteria

Fecal transplant may save you from deadly bacteria Today’s Video of the Day from the American Chemical Society describes inflammation of the colon caused by the bacteria Clostridium difficile.

Each year in the U.S., hundreds of thousands of people suffer from this condition, which results from disruption of normal healthy bacteria in the colon. Many people become sick from C. diff after taking antibiotics.

Sometimes C. diff can be treated with specialized antibiotics, but this does not always eliminate the bacteria from the system.  As shown above the Fecal transplant may save you from deadly bacteria

For some cases of C. diff, the best cure is a fecal microbiota transplant, or poop from a healthy donor. Fecal transplantation (or bacteriotherapy) is the transfer of stool from a healthy donor into the gastrointestinal tract for the purpose of treating recurrent C. difficile colitis. When antibiotics kill off too many “good” bacteria in the digestive tract, fecal transplants can help replenish bacterial balance. Most stool donors are family members or friends, but they don’t have to be. You can also get frozen, screened poop transplants from stool banks. Stool donors and their poop are carefully screened

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: American Chemical Society