Predictors of Fecal Microbiota Transplant Failure

Ten- to 20% of patients treated with fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) for recurrent or refractory Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) fail to experience a cure. Investigators sought to identify risk factors associated with such failure.

Data on 328 patients from two referral centers was used to determine predictors of FMT failure. Patients from a third center provided a validation cohort. Predictors of FMT failure were severe or severe-complicated disease, inpatient status at the time of FMT, and previous hospitalization for C. difficile.

A risk score of 0–13 indicated low, moderate, or high risk for early treatment failure. (Early failure was defined as nonresponse or recurrent diarrhea with positive C. difficile tests within 1 month of F…