Reconsidering the Risks of Fecal Transplants

Fecal microbiota transplants have been kicking C.diff infections for decades. In 2013, they were granted a murky “investigational” classification from the FDA. 

But when an FMT recipient died in June after contracting drug-resistant bacteria, the FDA deployed a safety alert with guidelines. Now, medical professionals are questioning why FMT hasn’t been subjected to tighter regulation.  

“A lot of us in the field were a little cavalier with our use of it,” says professor Ari Grinspan. “This is a little like blood donation back in the ‘80s when we didn’t know we should be screening for hepatitis B or HIV.” 

NBC News