P atients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) develop coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at similar rates as the general population, and there was initial concern regarding potential for severe illness. [1][2][3][4] Vaccinations were authorized for emergency use in the United States in December 2020 and aim to halt the spread of COVID-19. However, there are concerns that people will be hesitant to receive the vaccine for a variety of reasons including insufficient data in certain populations including those with IBD. We surveyed patients with IBD to identify potential concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccination.

Goals: We investigated the long-term efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) for the treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI). Background: FMT has emerged as a promising therapy for patients with rCDI unresponsive to standard medical therapy, though long-term efficacy and safety data are scarce. Materials and Methods: A multicenter retrospective study was performed on patients treated with FMT for rCDI with ≥6 months of clinical follow-up post-FMT. Patients were contacted to document sustained efficacy, potential adverse events, and antibiotic exposure. The electronic medical record was reviewed to confirm patient-reported outcomes and obtain additional data. The primary outcome was sustained cure, as defined by the absence of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) at any timepoint after FMT. Results: Of 528 patients treated, 207 were successfully contacted. The mean follow-up post-FMT was 34 (range: 6 to 84) months. One hundred fifty-seven patients (75.8%) reported sustained cure at the time of follow-up. One hundred patients (48%) reported the use of antibiotics for non-CDI indications post-FMT, of whom 11 (11%) had experienced CDI post-FMT. Fifty-two of the original 528 patients (9.8%) treated with FMT had died at the time of follow-up contact; none were felt attributable to the procedure. New medical conditions or diagnoses post-FMT were reported in 105 patients (50.5%). Fifteen reported improvement post-FMT in previously diagnosed medical conditions. Conclusions: In this largest and longest study to date on efficacy and safety after FMT for treatment of rCDI, we found that the majority of patients experienced long-term cure. Although a number of new conditions developed post-FMT, there was no clustering of diseases associated with dysbiosis.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: JRA consults for and has research support from Finch Therapeutics. MF serves as consultant for Finch Therapeutics Group and DSMB member for Rebiotix. CSK is on the scientific advisory board for Bio-Rad Laboratories. The remaining authors have no conflicts to disclose.

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