The disease Clostridium difficile intestinal infection is relatively common. There are approximately 15 infections over 10.000 hospital treatments. Usually it is being cured with antibiotics. The infection could cause only a few symptoms, at other times the infection can cause many more problems. In approximately 5% of the patients the infection returns regularly. For this group a fecal bacteriotherapy is the only effective treatment. The intestinal infection Clostridium Feces transportations are currently being held for three to four times a month in the Netherlands. It is expected that this number increases rapidly. LUMC prof. Ed Kuijper of the Department of Medical Microbiology: "The effectiveness of the Fecal Bacteriotherapy in patients with Clostridium difficile infection was established in 2013. Since then, the treatment is included in national and international guidelines. "
Accessible and safe
The NDFB (Nederlandse Donor Feces Bank) makes treatment for donor feces easily and accessible to doctors and hospitals across the country. The "poop Bank 'causes screened feces according to the guidelines and are registered and provides transport throughout the Netherlands. Liz Terveer, clinical microbiologist in education and coordinator of the fecesbank: "We work with standardized protocols for donor screening, from the reprocessing of the feces to the transplant of the product. The storage at -80 ⁰C and the issuance of the stool suspension. The doctor that receives the feces, can safely insert directly into the duodenum of the patient. They are also offering training to doctors who perform fecal Bacteriotherapy. We also offer training to doctors who perform the Fecal Bacteriotherapy. " The preparation for the establishment of the NDFB lasted a year and was an initiative of gastrointestinal and liver diseases doctor Dr. Josbert Keller (MCH Bronovo) and medical microbiologist Professor. Ed Kuijper (LUMC). They worked on this with the Biobanking department of LUMC.
Donors
The NDFB is still searching for donors for the treatment of patients. The conditions are that they should live near Leiden and be healthy. Prof. Kuijper: "Relief donation is not established yet, like giving blood it is. I think it's a matter of getting used to. Donors offer patients the chance of an accessible and safe treatment against invasive disease. "Visit https://www.excretas.com/ for the best specimen collector.