Media reports worldwide are linking the death of two patients and the hospitalisation of a further four patients in the United States to unscreened pathogens in FMT implants provided by a major US FMT manufacturer. We would like offer our sympathies to the families of the deceased and all involved.
Early reports are attributing the cause of the deaths to a pathogenic bacterium called Shiga-like Toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC for short) and possibly other as yet not disclosed pathogenic E. Coli species. The media are suggesting that insufficient testing parameters may be responsible for up to eight patients having received infected FMT from 3 separate donors with the same supplier.
Can we assure all TML.science clients and their patients, that since 2015, as part of our comprehensive donor screening program, we have been rigorously testing EVERY SINGLE DONOR SAMPLE RECEIVED for the following pathogenic species of Escherichia coli:
- E. Coli 0157 H7
- Enteroaggregatative E. coli (EAEC)
- Enteropathogenc E. coli (EPEC)
- Enterotoxigenic E.coli (ETEC)
- Shiga-like Toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)
- Shigella/Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC)
TML.science is part of a United Kingdom FMT stakeholder program backed by the UK Health Regulator; the MHRA, for Quality Assurance standardisation for testing and manufacture of FMT products.