Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Development of a Larval Zebrafish Infection Model for Clostridioides difficile
09:13

Development of a Larval Zebrafish Infection Model for Clostridioides difficile

Published on: February 14, 2020

6.8K

Clostridioides difficile Infection in the Stem Cell Transplant and Hematologic Malignancy Population

Elizabeth Ann Misch1, Nasia Safdar2

  • 1Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, 1685 Highland Drive, Centennial Building, 5th Floor, Madison, WI 53705, USA.

Infectious Disease Clinics of North America
|April 22, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a common risk for stem cell transplant patients. Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) shows promise for CDI treatment and prevention in this population, with ongoing research and new therapies emerging.

Area of Science:

  • Hematology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) frequently affects patients undergoing stem cell transplant (SCT) and those with hematologic malignancies (HM).
  • CDI commonly occurs early in the post-transplant phase for these vulnerable patient groups.
  • Standard CDI treatments are generally applicable, but fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) adoption is limited due to safety concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current landscape of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) management in stem cell transplant (SCT) and hematologic malignancy (HM) patients.
  • To evaluate the efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) for CDI in the SCT/HM population.
  • To highlight emerging therapeutic options for CDI in this patient cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature including case reports, small series, and retrospective studies on FMT for CDI in SCT/HM patients.
  • Discussion of safety concerns and evidence supporting FMT effectiveness.
  • Mention of ongoing clinical trials and novel therapeutic development.

Main Results:

  • Evidence from case reports and retrospective studies suggests FMT is effective and safe for treating CDI in SCT/HM patients.
  • Despite positive findings, FMT has not been widely adopted due to safety concerns.
  • A randomized controlled trial investigating FMT for CDI prophylaxis in SCT patients is currently in progress.

Conclusions:

  • Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) demonstrates potential as an effective and safe treatment for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in stem cell transplant (SCT) and hematologic malignancy (HM) recipients.
  • Further research, including ongoing randomized controlled trials, is crucial to solidify FMT's role and address safety concerns.
  • The development of novel therapeutics offers additional promising avenues for managing CDI in this high-risk population.

Keywords:
Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficileGraft-versus-host diseaseHematologic malignancyStem cell transplant

More Related Videos

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation via Colonoscopy for Recurrent C. difficile Infection07:06

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation via Colonoscopy for Recurrent C. difficile Infection

Published on: December 8, 2014

27.7K
Normal and Malignant Muscle Cell Transplantation into Immune Compromised Adult Zebrafish09:39

Normal and Malignant Muscle Cell Transplantation into Immune Compromised Adult Zebrafish

Published on: December 26, 2014

11.3K

Related Concept Videos

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells01:13

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different types of cells. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are post-mitotic—that is, they no longer divide. However, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they “de-differentiate” and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are also pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are therefore...
27.3K
Adult Stem Cells01:33

Adult Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce more stem cells or progenitor cells that differentiate into mature, specialized cell types. All the cells in the body are generated from stem cells in the early embryo, but small populations of stem cells are also present in many adult tissues including the bone marrow, brain, skin, and gut. These adult stem cells typically produce the various cell types found in that tissue—to replace cells that are damaged or to continuously...
33.4K
Embryonic Stem Cells00:58

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.
32.1K
Embryonic Stem Cells00:57

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells were first discovered in mice in 1981 by Martin Evans. In 1998, James Thomson identified a method to isolate embryonic stem cells from humans. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from 3-5 day old embryos that remain unused after an in vitro fertilization procedure.
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
4.8K
Conservation of Small Populations02:04

Conservation of Small Populations

Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...
16.7K
What is Population Genetics?01:25

What is Population Genetics?

A population is composed of members of the same species that simultaneously live and interact in the same area. When individuals in a population breed, they pass down their genes to their offspring. Many of these genes are polymorphic, meaning that they occur in multiple variants. Such variations of a gene are referred to as alleles. The collective set of all the alleles within a population is known as the gene pool.
64.5K