Fecal transplants have proven effective in battling at least one kind of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, researchers have found. Vancomycin-resistantEnterococcus (VRE), not to be confused with Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) wrote about so urgently earlier this month, is one of the most commonly acquired infections in hospital settings, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Vancomycin is an antibiotic that is used to treat some drug-resistant infections caused by enterococci which are bacteria that live in human intestines. Some of these bacteria have become resistant to Vancomycin.Most VRE infections happen in intensive care units. Traditional methods for controlling the spread of these bacteria, such as wearing gloves and good handwashing aren’t completely effective because of the density of a typical colony of these bacteria.
One method that is effective at battling these fortified colonies is fecal transplant, according to a study published in the March issue of Infection and Immunity, the journal of the American Society of Microbiology. In experiments on mice, researchers used fecal transplant to reintroduce a diverse group of microbes that are normally found in the intestine. The procedure resulted in “a billionfold reduction in the density of intestinal VRE colonization,” according to the study abtract. The researchers conclude that their study may lead to a new treatment approach for treating VRE infections.
So how much does the average US hospital charge for a fecal transplant?
I found this story about the cost: http://www.twincities.com/wisconsin/ci_20838261/fecal-transplant-offers-relief-after-months-misery