Fecal Microbiota Transplantation as a Novel Method of Multidrug-Resistant Infections Treatment in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Recipients

Abstract

This short communication accompanies our presentation at the 43rd Annual meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation held in Marseille, France, 26-29 March 2017. Also it briefly summaries some recent advances in fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for treatment of infections in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) recipients. AlloHSCT is an effective method of treatment for some hematological, malignant and hereditary conditions in adults and children. However, allo-HSCT is also associated with several potentially life-threatening complications. Among the most common causes for transplantassociated mortality are antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections and immune complications, such as acute and chronic graft-versushost disease (GvHD). In most cases, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is primarily damaged post-HSCT due to enhanced inflammation, GvHD, and intestinal infections causing serious diarrhea, in particular pseudomembranous colitis associated with Clostridium difficile, which often develops in patients receiving massive antibiotic therapy. Normal intestinal microbiota elimination is itself an important risk factor for sepsis, GIT GvHD, pseudo-membranous colitis and antibiotic-associated diarrhea post-HSCT. FMT from healthy donors allows restoring the physiological variability and functional activity of intestinal microbiota leading to pathogens eradication in patients with GIT infections.