SACRAMENTO, CA--(Marketwired - April 02, 2015) - More than 350,000 cases of Clostridium difficile (C. diff), a dangerous and potentially fatal gastrointestinal bacterial infection, are diagnosed in the United States every year, killing over 15,000 people.
AdvancingBio, a not-for-profit organization that offers a treatment to patients suffering from C. diff, announces its launch with the opening of its stool collection and processing facility in Mather, CA, near Sacramento. The facility provides a unique resource for healthcare partners to treat patients with recurrent C. diff using Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT).
C. diff is a bacterium that can cause swelling and irritation of the large intestine, or colon. This inflammation, known as colitis, can lead to severe diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. The infection is most common in people who are taking antibiotics or have taken them recently, but it also can be transmitted to other people when they come into contact with infected patients or contaminated surfaces, especially if proper hygiene is not practiced.
"There is an emerging need for resources to treat patients suffering from C. difficile, which can be a very aggressive and life-threatening infection," said Donny Dumani, MD, who oversees all medical aspects of AdvancingBio. "AdvancingBio was created with the mission to provide services to those in need. Our focus is to provide vital resources to healthcare partners who in turn perform fecal microbiota transplants to heal the growing number of patients with C. diff."
FMT involves the transfer of a healthy microbiome, or the good bacteria present in carefully screened and tested donor stool, including the totality of microorganisms and their collective genetic material. FMT has been shown to deliver a 90+% cure rate.
The donor screening and donation process takes approximately less than 30 minutes. Donors will receive pre-donation educational material and instructions, then proceed to a confidential medical history review by a licensed AdvancingBio staff member. A blood draw will be conducted for infectious disease testing, and then the donor will be provided a clean, private facility for the donation. Eligibility requirements to donate stool are assessed at the time of donation and include feeling well and healthy, being free from cold and flu-like symptoms for 14 days, being between 18 - 65 years old and having a Body Mass Index less than 35.
"The immediate availability of thoroughly screened products that meet the current FDA requirements for our patients with recurring C. difficile is more than welcome," said R. Erick Pecha, MD, partner at Gastroenterology Medical Clinic in Folsom. "It is long overdue."