Internal medicine

Rescue therapy

Inflammatory bowel disease

Disease

Graft-versus-host disease

Antibiotics

Biology

Microbiology

Gastroenterology

Fecal bacteriotherapy

Refractory (planetary science)

Gastrointestinal tract

Transplantation

Clostridium difficile

Medicine

Astrobiology

Frontiers in Immunology

Patients with steroid refractory gastrointestinal (GI) tract graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) have a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. To accurately assess the efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in treating steroid refractory GI tract GvHD, we conducted a pilot study involving eight patients. Having received FMTs, all patients' clinical symptoms improved, bacteria enriched, and microbiota composition reconstructed. They achieved a similar overall survival, and a progression-free survival better than patients who did not receive FMT. To treat steroid refractory GI tract aGvHD, FMT is efficient and safe.

Treating Steroid Refractory Intestinal Acute Graft-vs.-Host Disease With Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: A Pilot Study