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woman who received gut bacteria from an overweight donor — for the treatment of a bacterial infection — rapidly gained 34 pounds in the 16 months after the procedure.
The case report, published in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases, reveals that the woman was being treated for a recurrent Clostridium difficile infection with a fecal transplant involving the gut bacteria of an overweight donor.
The authors say the case suggests doctors should avoid using bacteria from overweight donors for such treatment,
Medical News Today reports.
Infection with C. difficile can cause inflammation of the colon, leading to diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and nausea.
According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention, C. difficile is causes 337,000 infections and 14,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Antibiotics are the first line of treatment, but for some patients fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) may be recommended.
The procedure involves collection of stool from a donor free of C. difficile, and "friendly" gut bacteria are isolated from the fecal matter. This bacteria are then transferred to the recipient's gut, with the aim of replacing the good gut bacteria that may have been suppressed by overpopulation of C. difficile.
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