Fecal microbiota transplantation via colonoscopy in a dog with Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection

Abstract

In dogs, antimicrobial therapy for Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI) is based solely on metronidazole, leaving limited treatment options in case of recurrent disease. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been successfully used in humans with recurrent CDI, whereas the usefulness of this approach is largely unknown in dogs. In the present study, a dog with a chronic-recurring diarrhea was treated with FMT via colonoscopy. CDI was confirmed by A/B toxin detection and isolation of toxigenic C. difficile from ribotype 106, a strain also commonly associated with nosocomial infection in humans. The dog recovered well after the procedure and C. difficile was no longer isolated from its stool sample. The present research suggested that FMT could be a useful tool to treat recurrent CDI in dogs, corroborating the actual protocol in humans.

Canine chronic enteropathy—Current state-of-the-art and emerging concepts

“…Approximately 15–43% of dogs classified as SRE/IRE have no adequate response to medical treatment and are categorized as non-responsive enteropathy (NRE), carrying a worse long-term prognosis and a high rate of euthanasia ( 25 , 26 ). Further studies need to determine if these dogs will benefit from additional or alternative immunomodulatory treatments, including probiotics (e.g., Enterococcus faecium or the highly concentrated probiotic strains found in Visbiome), prebiotics (e.g., β-1,3/1,6-D-glucan), or synbiotics ( 27 – 34 ), fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) ( 35 – 37 ), or stem cell therapy ( 38 ).…”