Scientists claim to have CURED Crohn’s disease after a treatment of antibiotics and faecal transplants sparks long-lasting ‘profound remissions’
- Crohn’s is a debilitating gut disease that affects around 115,000 people in the UK
- It is thought to occur when the immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract
- Its symptoms can include abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fever and weight loss
- Crohn’s may be caused by an imbalance of gut bacteria, possibly from infection
Scientists claim to have cured Crohn’s disease after a treatment of antibiotics and faecal transplants sparked long-lasting ‘profound remissions’ in ten patients.
Previously thought incurable, Crohn’s is a debilitating gut disease that affects around 115,000 people in the United Kingdom and almost 3 million globally.
It is thought to occur when the body’s immune system attacks its own gastrointestinal tract, often causing pain, diarrhoea, fever and weight loss.
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Scientists claim to have cured Crohn’s disease after a treatment of antibiotics and faecal transplants sparked long-lasting ‘profound remissions’ in ten patients
The study was undertaken by Gaurav Agrawal, Thomas Borody and colleagues at the Centre for Digestive Diseases in New South Wales, Australia.
‘Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory process of the digestive tract,’ they explained in their paper.
‘It has a negative impact on many aspects of quality of life — including physical, social, psychological, and sexual functioning.’
The disease — which is becoming more common — is conventionally treated using substances that suppress the activity of the body’s immune system.
However, such treatments are not always effective and relapse is common.
Previous research had revealed that patients with Crohn’s disease have an imbalance present in the makeup of their gut microbiome — one possibly resulting from an infection of the bacteria Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis.
To tackle this, the team gave ten patients individualised treatments that featured either specific doses and combinations of antibiotics, faecal transplants, or both.
The transplants saw the patients’ damaged gut ecosystems repopulated with bacteria from a healthy donor, which was delivered orally by a what the team have dubbed a freeze-dried ‘c**psule’.
The team gave ten patients treatments that featured either specific doses and combinations of antibiotics, faecal transplants, or both. The transplants saw the patients’ damaged gut ecosystems repopulated with bacteria from a healthy donor, which was delivered orally by a what the team have dubbed a freeze-dried ‘c**psule’. Pictured, Professor Borody
‘Prolonged remission has been achieved for 3–23 years,’ the researchers said, enabling patients to be off all forms of Crohn’s therapy.
Professor Borody — who heads up the Centre for Digestive Diseases — is also noted for having developed a cure for the stomach ulcers caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori.
The full findings of the study were published in the journal Gut Pathogens.