Rare, Overlooked, or Underappreciated Causes of Recurrent Abdominal Pain: A Primer for Gastroenterologists.

Recurrent abdominal pain is a common reason for repeated visits to outpatient clinics and emergency departments, reflecting a substantial unmet need for timely and accurate diagnosis. A lack of awareness of some of the rarer causes of recurrent abdominal pain may impede diagnosis and delay effective management. This article identifies some of the key rare but diagnosable causes that are frequently missed by gastroenterologists and provides expert recommendations to support recognition, diagnosis, and management with the ultimate aim of improving patient outcomes.

Idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of the mesenteric veins: A systematic review and individual patient data regression analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Idiopathic myointimal hyperplasia of the mesenteric veins (IMHMV) is an uncommon cause of colonic ischemia for which surgical treatment is typically curative. We describe clinical, radiologic, and endoscopic findings in IMHMV patients to provide clinicians with a framework for pre-surgical identification of this rare disease. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of seven databases for IMHMV cases and identified additional cases from Yale New Haven Hospital records. To identify features specifically associated with colonic ischemia due to IMHMV, we performed multivariate logistic regression analysis incorporating data from a large cohort of patients with biopsy-proven ischemic colitis. RESULTS: A total of 124 patients with IMHMV were identified (80% male, mean age 53 years, 56% Caucasian). Presenting symptoms were most commonly abdominal pain (86%) and diarrhea (68%). The most affected areas were the sigmoid colon (91%) and rectum (61%). Complications associated with diagnostic delay occurred in 29% of patients. Radiologic vascular abnormalities including non-opacification of the inferior mesenteric vein were observed in 35% of patients. Of the patients, 97% underwent curative surgical resection. Compared with non-IMHMV colonic ischemia, IMHMV was significantly associated with younger age, male sex, absence of rectal bleeding on presentation, rectal involvement, and mucosal ulcerations on endoscopy. CONCLUSION: IMHMV is a rare, underreported cause of colonic ischemia that predominantly involves the rectosigmoid. Our findings suggest younger age, rectal involvement, and absence of rectal bleeding as clinical features to help identify select patients presenting with colonic ischemia as having higher likelihood of IMHMV and therefore consideration of upfront surgical management.

Sex-specific impact of severe obesity in the outcomes of hospitalized patients with COVID-19: a large retrospective study from the Bronx, New York.

It has been demonstrated that obesity is an independent risk factor for worse outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Our objectives were to investigate which classes of obesity are associated with higher in-hospital mortality and to assess the association between obesity and systemic inflammation. This was a retrospective study which included consecutive hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in a tertiary center. Three thousand five hundred thirty patients were included in this analysis (female sex: 1579, median age: 65 years). The median body mass index (BMI) was 28.8 kg/m2. In the overall cohort, a J-shaped association between BMI and in-hospital mortality was depicted. In the subgroup of men, BMI 35-39.9 kg/m2 and BMI ≥40 kg/m2 were found to have significant association with higher in-hospital mortality, while only BMI ≥40 kg/m2 was found significant in the subgroup of women. No significant association between BMI and IL-6 was noted. Obesity classes II and III in men and obesity class III in women were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19. The male population with severe obesity was the one that mainly drove this association. No significant association between BMI and IL-6 was noted.

Chronic Rifaximin Use in Cirrhotic Patients Is Associated with Decreased Rate of C. difficile Infection.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Rifaximin is an antimicrobial which is used for prophylaxis of hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis and has known anti-Clostridioides difficile activity. The aim of this study is to assess whether the rate of C. difficile infection (CDI) is decreased in patients with cirrhosis on chronic rifaximin compared with those who are not. METHODS: We retrospectively identified consecutive patients admitted to Montefiore Medical Center from 2010 to 2014 with cirrhosis and diarrhea who were tested for CDI. Demographics, comorbidities, medication exposure, baseline laboratory data, and outcomes were recorded. Patients with cirrhosis and diarrhea on chronic rifaximin were compared with those not on rifaximin. The chronic rifaximin group was then isolated, and those with and without CDI were compared. RESULTS: Of 701 patients with cirrhosis and diarrhea, 149 were on chronic rifaximin and 552 were not. 12.8% of patients on chronic rifaximin had CDI compared with 29.7% of those not on rifaximin (P < 0.001). Patients on rifaximin had higher MELD (19.7 vs. 15.5, P < 0.001), 30-day mortality (26.2% vs. 16.1%, P < 0.01), and ICU requirement compared with those not on rifaximin. CONCLUSION: Patients with cirrhosis who are on chronic rifaximin have decreased rates of CDI compared with those not on this therapy. Despite its risk for promoting resistance, chronic rifaximin use may have a beneficial effect in preventing CDI in patients with cirrhosis.

Fecal Microbiota Therapy With a Focus on Clostridium difficile Infection.

There has been a paradigm shift in our view of bacteria away from their role as just pathogens. We now have a deepening appreciation of their critical influences in our health maintenance, including energy harvest, metabolism, intestinal development, cell proliferation, nervous system and immune function, as well as their role to protect against intestinal and other infections. A perturbed intestinal microbiome has been associated with an increasing number of gastrointestinal and nongastrointestinal diseases but particularly with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Although such association does not imply causation, it has been shown that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) can correct the dysbiosis that characterizes chronic and recurring CDI and that FMT can effect a seemingly safe and rapidly effective cure for most patients with CDI so treated. FMT has been used to treat a wide range of other diseases, although conclusions about efficacy in any disease other than CDI must await appropriate well-designed trials. More work needs to be conducted with FMT, especially to evaluate and ensure its long-term safety. Future studies are likely to narrow the spectrum of organisms that needs to be given to patients to cure CDI, and perhaps other diseases, and to elucidate the mechanisms whereby such therapeutic benefit occurs. FMT is but the first step in this journey.

Postinfection Irritable Bowel Syndrome: The Links Between Gastroenteritis, Inflammation, the Microbiome, and Functional Disease.

Postinfection irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS) is a diarrheal disease that develops after infectious gastroenteritis (IGE). Profound alterations in the microbiota accompany IGE yet only 10% of IGE patients progress to PI-IBS. This review explores research linking IGE severity, psychological comorbidity, PI-IBS, and the microbiome in various patient populations. Selective pressures caused by inflammation and increased gastrointestinal motility during gastroenteritis can alter intestinal bacterial phyla including Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria. More specifically, classes such as Bacteroides and Clostridia are differentially abundant in many PI-IBS patients. Altered microbiota may perpetuate a cycle of enteric and systemic inflammation, potently activating neural afferent signaling in the enteric nervous system and causing pain and diarrhea in PI-IBS patients. Altered production of microbial metabolites, for example short chain fatty acids, may have enteric and systemic effects on the host. Longitudinal sampling to characterize changes in the microbiota's genetic, metabolic, and transcriptional activities over time from IGE to PI-IBS may enable improved diagnosis and classification of PI-IBS cases into subtypes, allowing for targeted antibiotic, probiotic, and prebiotic treatments. PI-IBS is a heterogenous and largely organic disease marked by specific alterations in functions of the microbiota and is an important model for studying microbial influences on intestinal, neurological, and psychological host functions.

Effect of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation on Recurrence in Multiply Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection: A Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: To date, evidence for the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has been limited to case series and open-label clinical trials. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy and safety of FMT for treatment of recurrent CDI. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01703494). SETTING: Two academic medical centers. PATIENTS: 46 patients who had 3 or more recurrences of CDI and received a full course of vancomycin for their most recent acute episode. INTERVENTION: Fecal microbiota transplantation with donor stool (heterologous) or patient's own stool (autologous) administered by colonoscopy. MEASUREMENTS: The primary end point was resolution of diarrhea without the need for further anti-CDI therapy during the 8-week follow-up. Safety data were compared between treatment groups via review of adverse events (AEs), serious AEs (SAEs), and new medical conditions for 6 months after FMT. Fecal microbiota analyses were performed on patients' stool before and after FMT and also on donors' stool. RESULTS: In the intention-to-treat analysis, 20 of 22 patients (90.9%) in the donor FMT group achieved clinical cure compared with 15 of 24 (62.5%) in the autologous FMT group (P = 0.042). Resolution after autologous FMT differed by site (9 of 10 vs. 6 of 14 [P = 0.033]). All 9 patients who developed recurrent CDI after autologous FMT were free of further CDI after subsequent donor FMT. There were no SAEs related to FMT. Donor FMT restored gut bacterial community diversity and composition to resemble that of healthy donors. LIMITATION: The study included only patients who had 3 or more recurrences and excluded those who were immunocompromised and aged 75 years or older. CONCLUSION: Donor stool administered via colonoscopy seemed safe and was more efficacious than autologous FMT in preventing further CDI episodes. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

The Long-term Efficacy and Safety of Fecal Microbiota Transplant for Recurrent, Severe, and Complicated Clostridium difficile Infection in 146 Elderly Individuals.

OBJECTIVES: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in the elderly has a higher prevalence, greater morbidity and mortality, and lower response to conventional treatment than the general population. Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is highly effective therapy for CDI but has not been studied specifically in the elderly. This study aims to determine the long-term efficacy and safety of FMT for recurrent (RCDI), severe (SCDI), and complicated (CCDI) CDI in elderly patients. METHODS: A multicenter, long-term follow-up study was performed with demographic, pre-FMT, and post-FMT data collected from elderly patients with RCDI, SCDI, and CCDI, through a 47-item questionnaire. Outcome measures included primary and secondary cure rates, early (<12 wk) and late (≥12 wk) recurrence rates, and adverse events (AEs), including post-FMT diagnoses. RESULTS: Of 168 eligible patients, 146 patients met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 68.5% were women. The mean (range) age was 78.6 (65 to 97) years and the follow-up period was 12.3 (1 to 48) months. FMT was performed for RCDI in 89 (61%), SCDI in 45 (30.8%), and CCDI in 12 (8.2%) patients. The primary and secondary cure rates were 82.9% and 95.9%, respectively. Early and late recurrences occurred in 25 and 6 patients, respectively. AEs included CDI-negative diarrhea in 7 (4.8%) and constipation in 4 (2.7%) patients. Serious AEs, recorded in 6 patients, were hospital admissions for CDI-related diarrhea, one of which culminated in death. New diagnoses post-FMT included microscopic colitis (2), Sjogren syndrome (1), follicular lymphoma (1), contact dermatitis and idiopathic Bence-Jones proteinuria (1), and laryngeal carcinoma (1)-all, however, were associated with predisposing factors. CONCLUSIONS: FMT is a safe and effective treatment option for RCDI, SCDI, and CCDI in elderly patients.

Long-term Follow-up Study of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Severe and/or Complicated Clostridium difficile Infection: A Multicenter Experience.

GOAL: Our aim was to investigate fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) efficacy in patients with severe and/or complicated Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). BACKGROUND: FMT is successful for recurrent CDI, although its benefit in severe or complicated CDI has not specifically been evaluated. STUDY METHODS: A multicenter long-term follow-up study was performed in patients who received FMT for severe and/or complicated CDI (diagnosed using standard criteria). Pre-FMT and post-FMT questionnaires were completed. Study outcomes included cure rates and time to resolution of symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients (82% inpatients, 18% outpatients) were included (76.4% women; mean age, 66.4 y; mean follow-up, 11.4 mo). Patients had severe and complicated (76.4%) or either severe or complicated (23.6%) CDI. Sixteen patients (94.1%) had diarrhea, which resolved in 12 (75%; mean time to resolution, 5.7 d) and improved in 4 (25%) after FMT. Eleven patients (64.7%) had abdominal pain, which resolved in 8 (72.7%; mean time to resolution, 9.6 d) and improved in 3 (27.3%) after FMT. Two of 17 patients experienced early CDI recurrence (≤90 d) after FMT (primary cure rate, 88.2%); and in 1 patient, a second FMT resulted in cure (secondary cure rate, 94.1%). Late CDI recurrence (≥90 d) was seen in 1 of 17 patients (5.9%) in association with antibiotics and was successfully treated with a repeat FMT. No adverse effects directly related to FMT occurred. CONCLUSIONS: FMT was successful and safe in this cohort of patients with severe or complicated CDI. Primary and secondary cure rates were 88.2% and 94.1%, respectively.

Features and Outcomes of Patients With Ischemia Isolated to the Right Side of the Colon When Accompanied or Followed by Acute Mesenteric Ischemia.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients with ischemia isolated to the right side of the colon (IRCI) frequently have poor outcomes. IRCI and acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) are caused by reductions in blood supply from the superior mesenteric artery and its branches. We investigated a group of patients with IRCI associated with AMI that developed initially or shortly thereafter, and compared outcomes of patients with IRCI and AMI vs those with only IRCI. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of data collected from 313 consecutive patients with colonic ischemia who were hospitalized at Montefiore Medical Center in New York from 1998 through 2009. Based on colonoscopy, biopsy analyses, and surgery reports, we identified patients with IRCI with concurrent or proximately developing AMI (IRCI+AMI) and those with only IRCI. Demographics, evaluation, disease distribution, and outcome data were compared between groups. RESULTS: Of 313 patients with colonic ischemia, 20.8% had IRCI; of these, 84.6% had only IRCI and 15.4% had IRCI+AMI. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was found more frequently in patients with IRCI+AMI (40.0%) than in patients with IRCI alone (12.7%; P < .05). At the time of IRCI diagnosis, mean levels of blood urea nitrogen were significantly higher in patients with IRCI+AMI than with IRCI alone (37.9 ± 14.4 mEq/L vs 26.4 ± 18.8 mEq/L; P < .05), as were mean white blood cell counts (20.3 ± 12.1 vs 12.7 ± 6.8 × 10(3)/µL; P < .01). A higher proportion of patients with IRCI+AMI underwent surgery than patients with only IRCI (100.0% vs 43.1%; P = .001), and 30-day mortality was higher among patients with IRCI+AMI (70.0% vs 14.5% for patients with only IRCI; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Based on an analysis of 313 patients with colonic ischemia, patients with IRCI+AMI have even more severe disease than those with IRCI alone. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was observed more frequently in patients with IRCI+AMI. Patients with IRCI+AMI had increased levels of blood urea nitrogen and/or white blood cell counts. Patients with IRCI should undergo vascular imaging analyses immediately to detect AMI; patients without AMI should be monitored closely for its subsequent development.

Fecal Microbiota Transplant: Respice, Adspice, Prospice.

Respice, Adspice, Prospice, look to the past, look to the present, look to the future, is one of life's valuable axioms; for it is only if one knows where one has been can one intelligently prepare for the future. I have used this approach here to review fecal microbiota transplant (FMT). First used in fourth-century China to treat an assortment of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, today FMT is primarily used for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (RCDI). In the future, however, it is likely that microbiotic therapy will be extended beyond treatment of RCDI. Early on, fresh feces from patient-identified donors was used and administered by several routes. FMT cure rates for RCDI remain approximately 82% and 91% when fresh stool is given by the upper GI and lower GI routes, respectively, but now we are moving in the direction of using carefully vetted volunteers whose stool is processed into a variety of formulations including lyophilized material and even capsules. It is very likely that an array of products derived from feces or based on specific microbiotic profiles and commercially prepared in a controlled environment will be available to restore eubiosis to a dysbiotic intestinal microbial community, and thereby correct a variety of GI and non-GI disorders. We are witnessing a paradigm shift in therapeutics. Previously, bacteria were thought of only as potential pathogens, whereas now we appreciate that a diverse community of bacteria is crucial to the health of the host. We are now learning that to restore such diversity once it has been interrupted can result in miraculous cure. The future of microbiotic therapy is bright.

Recommendations for Probiotic Use--2015 Update: Proceedings and Consensus Opinion.

This paper describes the consensus opinion of the participants in the 4th Triennial Yale/Harvard Workshop on Probiotic Recommendations. The recommendations update those of the first 3 meetings that were published in 2006, 2008, and 2011. Recommendations for the use of probiotics in necrotizing enterocolitis, childhood diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and Clostridium difficile diarrhea are reviewed. In addition, we have added recommendations for liver disease for the first time. As in previous publications, the recommendations are given as A, B, or C ratings.

Update on Colon Ischemia: Recent Insights and Advances.

Colon ischemia (CI) is the most common manifestation of ischemic injury to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This usually self-limited disease is being diagnosed more frequently, and the list of known causes is increasing. Local hypoperfusion and reperfusion injury are both thought to contribute to the disease process, which manifests with a wide spectrum of injury including reversible colopathy (subepithelial hemorrhage and edema), transient colitis, chronic colitis, stricture, gangrene, and fulminant universal colitis. The distribution is usually segmental with left-sided disease (e.g., inferior mesenteric artery distribution) being more frequently observed than right-sided involvement (e.g., superior mesenteric artery distribution). Any portion of the colon can be affected, but the anatomic distribution of CI recently has been shown to be associated with outcome. Patients with isolated-right colon ischemia (IRCI) have a different presentation and worse outcomes than other distributions of disease. Although somewhat variable depending on disease location, CI presents with cramping abdominal pains over the segment of colon involved followed by a short course of bloody diarrhea. Diagnosis is usually made clinically and is supported with serologic, radiologic, and colonoscopic findings. Colonoscopy is the most accurate diagnostic study. Most patients respond to conservative supportive therapy although some with more severe disease require antimicrobials and/or surgical intervention.

The evolution of urban C. difficile infection (CDI): CDI in 2009-2011 is less severe and has better outcomes than CDI in 2006-2008.

OBJECTIVES: Over the past decade, the epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has shown a remarkable increase in incidence with an associated increase in severity. This study was designed to compare the demographics, medication exposure, evaluation, treatment patterns, and outcomes of patients with CDI in two different time periods: 2006-2008 and 2009-2011. We hypothesized that mortality is decreasing with increasing appropriateness of medical management. METHODS: We retrospectively identified consecutive patients admitted to Montefiore Medical Center between 1/1/2006 and 12/31/2011 with symptomatic diarrhea and a positive C. difficile toxin assay. The cohort was subdivided into those diagnosed in 2006-2008 (CDI 06-08) and 2009-2011 (CDI 09-11). We obtained key parameters at the time of diagnosis including demographics, medication exposure, medical comorbidities, laboratory data, CDI evaluation, and various outcome measures. We created a subcohort for each time frame of patients diagnosed with severe CDI defined by white blood cell count (WBC) >15,000 cells/µl and albumin <3.0 g/dl and made the same comparisons as for the overall cohort. The two cohorts were compared using SPSS (16.0). RESULTS: Cohorts and the number of patients who met criteria for inclusion were as follows: CDI 06-08 (n=1189), CDI 09-11 (n=1,907), severe CDI 06-08 (n=243), and severe CDI 09-11 (n=382). CDI 09-11 patients were older (P=0.01) and had higher Charlson comorbidity scores (P=0.02) than did those in the CDI 06-08 cohort. There were no significant demographic differences in the severe cohort. For both the overall and severe cohorts, there was more macrolide exposure before diagnosis with CDI and lower rates of quinolone exposure in the more recent era. The disease process also appeared less severe in the CDI 09-11 cohort with lower peak WBC during admission and at diagnosis. Treatment patterns appeared more aggressive during the more recent time frame, with shorter durations of oral metronidazole (P<0.001), longer durations of IV metronidazole (P=0.04), more frequent use of vancomycin as the sole therapy (P<0.001), more frequent switching from metronidazole to vancomycin (P<0.001), and less frequent exposure to any metronidazole throughout treatment (P<0.001) in the overall cohort. The 30-day mortality decreased significantly in both the overall (17.1 vs. 13.1%, P<0.01) and the severe (31.3 vs. 23.3%, P<0.05) cohorts from CDI 06-08 to CDI 09-11, with mortality decreasing significantly in the 8th and 9th decades of life in the overall cohort and in the 8th, 9th, and 10th decades in the severe cohort. CONCLUSIONS: In an urban United States population, CDI 09-11 showed changes in medication exposures, less severe disease, and more aggressive management with better outcomes and decreased mortality compared with CDI 06-08. The most important factors associated with 30-day mortality in both an overall and severe CDI population include age, WBC, and albumin level at the time of diagnosis.

Therapeutic faecal microbiota transplantation: current status and future developments.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has undergone dramatic progression over the past year and continues to evolve as knowledge of the gastrointestinal microbiota (GiMb) develops. This review summarizes therapeutic advances in FMT, latest FMT therapies and presents the potential of FMT therapeutics in other gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal conditions. RECENT FINDINGS: The GiMb is now known to have a central role in the pathogenesis of many diseases. The success of FMT in curing Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is well established and preliminary findings in other gastrointestinal conditions are promising. Published data from over 500 CDI cases suggest that FMT is generally well tolerated with minimal side effects. The commercial potential of FMT is being explored with several products under development, including frozen GiMb extract, which has been shown highly effective in treating relapsing CDI. Such products will likely become more available in coming years and revolutionize the availability and method of delivery of GiMb. SUMMARY: Recent literature unequivocally supports the use of FMT in treating relapsing CDI. Trials are underway to determine the therapeutic potential of FMT in other conditions, particularly inflammatory bowel disease. Therapeutic FMT is a dynamic field with new and emerging indications along with ongoing developments in optimal mode of administration.

Effect of propofol anesthesia on force application during colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Sedation is frequently used during colonoscopy to control patient discomfort and pain. Propofol is associated with a deeper level of sedation than is a combination of a narcotic and sedative hypnotic and, therefore, may be associated with an increase in force applied to the colonoscope to advance and withdraw the instrument. OBJECTIVE: To compare force application to the colonoscope insertion tube during propofol anesthesia and moderate sedation. DESIGN: An observational cohort study of 13 expert and 12 trainee endoscopists performing colonoscopy in 114 patients. Forces were measured by using the colonoscopy force monitor, which is a wireless, handheld device that attaches to the insertion tube of the colonoscope. SETTING: Community ambulatory surgery center and academic gastroenterology training programs. PATIENTS: Patients undergoing routine screening or diagnostic colonoscopy with complete segment force recordings. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Axial and radial forces and examination time. RESULTS: Axial and radial forces increase and examination time decreases significantly when propofol is used as the method of anesthesia. LIMITATIONS: Small study, observational design, nonrandomized distribution of sedation type and experience level, different instrument type and effect of prototype device on insertion tube manipulation. CONCLUSIONS: Propofol sedation is associated with a decrease in examination time and an increase in axial and radial forces used to advance the colonoscope.

American Journal of Gastroenterology Lecture: Intestinal microbiota and the role of fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) in treatment of C. difficile infection.

The vital roles that intestinal flora, now called microbiota, have in maintaining our health are being increasingly appreciated. Starting with birth, exposure to the outside world begins the life-long intimate association our microbiota will have with our diet and environment, and initiates determination of the post-natal structural and functional maturation of the gut. Moreover, vital interactions of the microbiota with our metabolic activities, as well as with the immunological apparatus that constitutes our major defense system against foreign antigens continues throughout life. A perturbed intestinal microbiome has been associated with an increasing number of gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal diseases including Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). It has become recognized that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) can correct the dysbiosis that characterizes chronic CDI, and effect a seemingly safe, relatively inexpensive, and rapidly effective cure in the vast majority of patients so treated. In addition, FMT has been used to treat an array of other gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal disorders, although experience in these other non-CDI diseases is in its infancy. More work needs to be done with FMT to ensure its safety and optimal route of administration. There is a conceptual sea change that is developing in our view of bacteria from their role only as pathogens to that of being critical to health maintenance in a changing world. Future studies are certain to narrow the spectrum of organisms that need to be given to patients to cure disease. FMT is but the first step in this journey.