The study also recovered C difficile spores from patient gowns and surgical scrubs, suggesting those items could be vectors for hospital transmission.
C diff infections cause roughly 30,000 US deaths each year.
Monoclonal antibodies and fecal microbiota-based products are changing the landscape for patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection.
Clostridioides difficile infection is associated with elevated all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
Allowing bedside nurses to independently order testing for C difficile was tied to faster test results.
The drug marks the first fecal microbiota therapy that can be taken orally.
The Cochrane Review analysis finds fecal microbiota transplantation likely leads to a large decrease in recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection compared with antibiotics.
Researchers report that a high dose of a novel oral microbiome-directed therapy prevented recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection.
The expert guidance says antibiotic exposure is the most modifiable risk factor for C difficile infection.
The authors said the findings for the treatment, approved by the FDA in December, are similar to what doctors can expect in clinical practice.
