BackgroundFecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been recently approved by FDA for the treatment of refractory recurrent clostridial colitis (rCDI). Success of FTM in treatment of rCDI led to a number of studies investigating the effectiveness of its application in the other gastrointestinal diseases. However, in the majority of studies the effects of FMT were evaluated on the patients with initially altered microbiota. The aim of our study was to estimate effects of FMT on the gut microbiota composition in healthy volunteers and to monitor its long-term outcomes.ResultsWe have performed a combined analysis of three healthy volunteers before and after capsule FMT by evaluating their general condition, adverse clinical effects, changes of basic laboratory parameters, and several immune markers. Intestinal microbiota samples were evaluated by 16S rRNA gene and shotgun sequencing. The data analysis demonstrated profound shift towards the donor microbiota taxonomic composition in all volunteers. Following FMT, all the volunteers exhibited gut colonization with donor gut bacteria and persistence of this effect for almost ∼1 year of observation. Transient changes of immune parameters were consistent with suppression of T-cell cytotoxicity. FMT was well tolerated with mild gastrointestinal adverse events, however, one volunteer developed a systemic inflammatory response syndrome.ConclusionsThe FMT leads to significant long-term changes of the gut microbiota in healthy volunteers with the shift towards donor microbiota composition and represents a relatively safe procedure to the recipients without long-term adverse events.

Summary Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), as any other medical procedure, requires standardization of results, approaches, monitoring of its dynamics and microbiota engraftment evaluation. The aim of the present study was to compare efficiency and results of PCR and 16S RNA-based sequencing in order to trace the dynamics of microbiota composition after FMT. Patients and methods The prospective, single-center study included 27 patients with acute intestinal and chronic (overlap syndrome) graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) developed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). FMT in 19 cases was performed, mostly, with ingestible capsules, eight placebo-treated patients were included into control group. Quantitative changes of different bacterial groups in fecal microbiota were assessed by means of real-time multiplex PCR, being compared with16S rRNA sequencing technique at the terms of D+3, D+16, D+30, D+60 and D+120 following FMT. Clinical response was determined by 4 scales evaluating intestinal syndrome and GvHD grade. Results When evaluating stool consistence according to Bristol scale as an index of GvHD therapy efficiency, we have observed complete clinical response by the D+120 after FMT in nine cases (47% with Bristol score of ≤4 points), and nine patients (47%) showed improved stool properties (>4 points). In the placebo group, complete or partial response was revealed, respectively, in one (13%), and four cases (50%) on the D+120. Multiplex PCR of fecal microbiota has shown a different time course in FMT- and placebo-treated patients, when compared to their initial (pre-FMT) levels. Total bacterial mass and copy numbers of distinct microbial species exhibited sufficient increase after FMT. Such shifts were demonstrable on D+30 for total microbial mass (p=0.002); Escherichia coli (p=0.001); Bacteroides fragilis group (p=0.05); Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (p=0.005). Meanwhile, the numbers Lactobacillus spp., and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, generally, were not changed over this time period. Moreover, in the control group (placebo) we have not found significant fecal microbiota changes against initial levels during 120 days monitoring period. Over 120 days of observation, we have also found some differences of the microbiota dynamics for the subgroups with complete response and partial/no response: Bifidobacterium spp. (р<0.047), E.coli (р<0.00047), B. fragilis group (p=5.6×10-5), F.prausnitzii (р<0.0062). Conclusions 1. Quantitative PCR of the major bacterial groups of gut microbiota, e.g., Bifidobacterium spp., E. coli, B. fragilis group, F. prausnitzii could be used as microbiological markers for evaluation of changing microbial landscape after FMT as a routine molecular biology technique. 2. The genocopy counts of B. fragilis group correlate with clinical response in the patients with intestinal GvHD after HSCT, either with, or without FMT procedure.

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Background: Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is now approved for the treatment of refractory recurrent clostridial colitis, but a number of studies are ongoing in inflammatory bowel diseases, i.e., Crohn's disease, nonspecific ulcerative colitis, and in other autoimmune conditions. In most cases, the effects of FMT are evaluated on patients with initially altered microbiota. The aim of the present study was to evaluate effects of FMT on the gut microbiota composition in healthy volunteers and to track long-term changes. Results:We have performed a combined analysis of three healthy volunteers before and after FMT with frozen capsules, followed by evaluation of their general condition, adverse clinical effects, changes of basic laboratory parameters, and several immune markers. Intestinal microbiota samples were evaluated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing (16S seq) and shotgun sequencing (or whole-genome sequencing -WGS). The data analysis demonstrated the profound shift towards the donor microbiota taxonomic composition in all volunteers. Following FMT, all the volunteers exhibited gut colonization with donor gut bacteria, and persistence of this effect for almost ∼1 year of observation. Transient changes of immune parameters were consistent with suppression of T-cell cytotoxicity. FMT was well tolerated with mild gastrointestinal adverse events and systemic inflammatory response in one volunteer. Conclusions:The FMT procedure leads to significant long-term changes of the gut microbiota in healthy volunteers with the shift towards donor microbiota composition, being relatively safe to the recipients without long-term adverse events.

Background. In the expanding population of immunocompromised patients rare fungi have emerged as important pathogens, causing invasive infections associated with high morbidity and mortality. The number of publications on the invasive fungal diseases caused by rare pathogens (rare IFD) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and chemotherapy is limited. Patients and methods. We design the retrospective study in order to investigate the epidemiology of rare IFD in large cohort of patients after HSCT and chemotherapy for 11-year period. From 2008 to 2018 in R. Gorbacheva Memorial Institute of Children Oncology, Hematology and Transplantation (CIC725) were performed 3209 HSCT including 2118 allogeneic (allo-HSCT) and 1037 autologous HSCT (auto-HSCT). During the observation period 41 probable and proven rare IFD (EORTC/MSG 2008 criteria) cases were diagnosed in children and adults with hematological malignances and non-malignant hematological diseases after allo-HSCT (n=30), auto-HSCT (n=2), and chemotherapy (n=9). The median age was 24 (2-59) y.o., males - 61%(n=25). The median follow up time for rare IFD cases was 3 months; for survivors - 30 months. Results. Incidence of rare IFD in HSCT recipients was 1,3%, it was higher after allo-HSCT (1,4%) than auto-HSCT (0,2%) (p<0,002). In nine patients, this complication developed after CT and four of them proceed to allo-HSCT. The most frequent underlying diseases were acute lymphoblastic leukemia (32%) and acute myeloid leukemia (29%). The median time of onset of rare IFD after allo-HSCT was 104 (21-1057) days, auto-HSCT - 138 (60-216), after start of CT - 161 (79-189). Etiology of rare IFD was identified by culture in 61% cases: Rhizopus spp. - 44%, Paecilomyces spp. - 16%, Fuzarium spp. - 8%, Malassezia furfur - 8%, Trichosporon asahii - 4%, Scedosporium apiosperium - 4%, Scopulariopsis gracilis - 4%, Rhizomucor pusillus - 4%, mix rare IFD with Rhizopus spp. + Paecilomyces spp. - 4%, Paecilomyces spp. + Fuzarium spp. - 4%. 35% cases (mucormycosis) were diagnosed with microscopy. In 44% cases rare IFD developed after or in combination with invasive aspergillosis, and 2 patients had both preexisting invasive aspergillosis and co-infection with mucormycosis. The main site of infection were lungs (82%), the main clinical symptom - fever (95%). All patients were treated with antifungals: lipid amphotericin B - 32%, lipid amphotericin B + caspofungin - 23%, voriconazole - 15%, posaconazole - 12,5%, lipid amphotericin B + posaconazole - 10%, and echinocandins - 7,5%. Surgery was used in 10% patients. Overall survival at 12 weeks from the diagnosis of rare IFD was 51,2%. The 12-weeks overall survival was better in patients after CT and auto-HSCT (81%) than allo-HSCT (40%), p=0,025. Conclusions. The incidence of rare IFD in HSCT recipients was 1,3% and depends on type of transplantation. Rare IFD was a late complication after chemotherapy and HSCT and usually developed after or in combination with invasive aspergillosis. Higher incidence and worst prognosis of rare IFD was observed in allo-HSCT recipients. Disclosures Moiseev: MSD: Other: Travel grants; Pfizer: Other: Travel grants; Celgene: Consultancy, Other: Travel grants; BMS: Other: Travel grants; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel grants, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Other: Travel grants.

Intestinal complications are common after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). However, only scarce data concern herpesvirus incidence in the colonic mucosa post-HSCT. Our purpose was to assess the frequency and clinical significance of cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV6), and herpes simplex virus (HSV) in the colonic mucosa post-HSCT. The study group included 119 patients of different ages, mostly with leukemias and lymphomas, subjected to allo-HSCT from haploidentical related (48%) or HLA-compatible donors (52%). In total, 155 forceps biopsies of the colonic mucosa were taken in cases of severe therapy-resistant intestinal syndrome post-HSCT. Most samples were taken from the descending, sigmoid, and transverse colon. Intestinal GVHD or local infections were assessed clinically and by histology. EBV, CMV, HSV, and HHV6 were tested in colonic mucosal lysates with commercial PCR assays. HSV was found in <8% of colonic samples, along with high HHV6 and CMV positivity (up to 62% and 35%, respectively) and a higher EBV incidence at 5–6 months post-HSCT (35%). For CMV and EBV, significant correlations were revealed between their rates of detection in blood and colonic mucosa (r = 0.489 and r = 0.583; p < 0.05). No significant relationships were found between the presence of herpesviruses and most patients’ characteristics. EBV positivity in colonic samples was correlated with delayed leukocyte and platelet recovery post-HSCT. Higher EBV frequency in the colonic mucosa was found in deceased patients (56% versus 21%, p = 0.02). The correlations among EBV positivity in the colon, lethality rates and delayed hematopoietic reconstitution suggest some relationship with systemic and local EBV reactivation post-transplant.

Aim.Was to evaluate clinical efficacy, adverse events and changes in the gut microbiome after fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) form of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Materials and methods.The prospective single-center study in R.M. Gorbacheva institute included 27 patients with GI GVHD after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. 19 patients received FMT, 8 patients received placebo. Clinical scales for GI autoimmune diseases were used to evaluate response. Microbiome alterations were assessed with multiplex PCR. Results.After FMT higher overall bacterial mass (р=0.00088), higher bacterial numbers ofBifidobacteriumspp. (р=0.021),Escherichia coli(р=0.049) andBacteroides fragilisgr. (р=0.000043) compared to placebo group. Also higher bacterial mass was observed in patients with clinical response (р=0.0057). The bacterial mass after procedure in non-responders was compared to the placebo group (р=0.31). Partial response of GVHD was achieved faster in the FMT group compared to placebo (median 4 days vs 48 days,p=0.014). Complete response was observed in 8 (42%), 14 (74%) and 16 (84%) at 30, 60 and 90 days respectively, while in the placebo group only 0%, 1 (13%) and 4 (50%) achieved complete response at the same time points. The incidence and severity of adverse events was comparable between FMT and the placebo group. Conclusion.FMT in patients with refractory GI GVHD was associated with favorable clinical outcomes and recovery in certain marker bacterial populations. Multiplex PCR can be used to assess an engraftment of a donor microbiota. FMT in GI GVHD was not associated with life-threatening adverse events, but further studies are required to validate clinical efficacy.