Reefgazer Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 So I brought my cat to the vet today for diarrhea. They gave him a little packet of dried bacteria fir us to put on his food to repopulate his gut bacteria. That got me to wondering if there is such a thing for humans who have diarrhea problems such as C-Diff after antibiotic treatment. Does anyone know is there such a thing at the current time? I thought that a fecal transplant was the standard of treatment for humans, but I was wondering if there was such a thing there's a little package of dried bacteria for humans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 My dog's packet was basically probiotics, just like human OTC probiotics. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Here are the ingredients in the one we were given: Animal digest, Enterococcus faecium, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), brewers dried yeast, Vitamin E supplement, zinc proteinate, beta-Carotene, salt, manganese proteinate, ferrous sulfate, copper proteinate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite. A-2516 Wiki: Enterococcus faecium is a Gram-positive, alpha-hemolytic or nonhemolytic bacterium in the genus Enterococcus.[1] It can be commensal (innocuous, coexisting organism) in the human intestine, but it may also be pathogenic, causing diseases such as neonatal meningitis or endocarditis. Vancomycin-resistant E. faecium is often referred to as VRE.[2] Some strains of E. faecium are used as probiotics in both animals[3] and humans.[4] 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Yes, humans can have fecal transplants (in capsule form) to treat c-diff. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted June 21, 2017 Author Share Posted June 21, 2017 I knew about the capsule transplants, but I wonder why they don't just have little packets of this stuff to sprinkle on food? And if they do, why is C-Diff not routinely treated this way. I know an elderly woman who died from complication of C-Diff, and it seems this would be a simple treatment. Yes, humans can have fecal transplants (in capsule form) to treat c-diff.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 I knew about the capsule transplants, but I wonder why they don't just have little packets of this stuff to sprinkle on food? And if they do, why is C-Diff not routinely treated this way. I know an elderly woman who died from complication of C-Diff, and it seems this would be a simple treatment. My guess is simply because that's a bit like using a butterfly bandage when 20 stitches are needed. C-Diff can't be treated the same as a little diarrhea. Or, rather, it can't be expected to respond the same as run of the mill diarrhea. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Fecal macrobiota transplant does have some important questions, one of which is the concern about passing on more serious health conditions through the transplant. As my doctor explained it: "We want to make sure you don't 'catch' cancer or diabetes from the donor." That's why the FMT procedure is considered experimental, and that's why it is only used as a last resort. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 Yup, those are just probiotics. Good stuff! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 ps. I believe that in Europe and other parts of the world, people are routinely given probiotics, specifically S. boulardii, when treated with antibiotics. I was shocked to learn this . . . and adjusted my family's ABX protocols accordingly. We self-prescribe probiotics routinely when we use ABX or if we have a GI bug/disturbance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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