Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: A Prospective Randomized Multi-Centre Trial of Fresh vs. Frozen-and-Thawed FMT (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation) for Recurrent Clostridium Difficile Infection
Brief Summary: The goal of this study is to determine the outcome of patients with recurrent CDI treated with fresh FMT versus frozen-and-thawed FMT in a randomized controlled trial. The specific objectives are to evaluate the safety of both types of FMT and to compare the clinical response, treatment failure and relapse rate in patients treated with fresh FMT compared to those treated with frozen-and-thawed FMT; also to assess the functional health and well-being of patients in each arm using a validated tool. The metagenomics will also be conducted from the stool samples collected from select patients from each arm: pre and post treatment and the matching donors. The metagenomics data will be used to determine the bacteria which may have contributed to the cure of CDI.


Options:
A: Patient inclusion criteria

1. Age 18 years or older.
2. Able to provide informed consent.
3. Laboratory or pathology: confirmed diagnosis of recurrent CDI with symptoms (defined below) within the previous 180 days.
4. ≥ 2 episodes of CDI within 6 months and/or ongoing symptoms consistent with CDI despite treatment with oral vancomycin at a dose of at least 125 mg 4 times daily for at least 5 days.

Symptoms of CDI, diarrhea deﬁned as: 3 or more unformed bowel movements in 24 hours for a minimum of 2 days with no other causes for diarrhea. Subjects will be required to have laboratory or pathology-confirmed diagnosis of recurrent C. difficile infection where recurrence is deﬁned as return of diarrhea and positive stool test after a period of symptom resolution within 8 weeks of the first episode and has received at least a 10-day course of standard antibiotic therapy.

Patient exclusion criteria

1. Planned or actively participating in another clinical trial.
2. Patients with neutropenia with absolute neutrophil count \<0.5 x 109/L
3. Evidence of toxic megacolon or gastrointestinal perforation on abdominal x-ray
4. Peripheral white blood cell count \> 30.0 x 10E9/L AND temperature \> 38.0 oC
5. Active gastroenteritis due to Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli 0157H7, Yersinia or Campylobacter.
6. Presence of colostomy
7. Unable to tolerate HBT or enema for any reason.
8. Requiring systemic antibiotic therapy for more than 7 days.
9. Actively taking Saccharomyces boulardii
10. Severe underlying disease such that the patient is not expected to survive for at least 30 days.
11. Any condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, that the treatment may pose a health risk to the subject.

Donor inclusion

1. Able to provide and sign informed consent.
2. Able to complete and sign the donor questionnaire
3. Able to adhere to fecal transplantation stool collection standard operating procedure.

Donor exclusion

1. Tested positive for any of the following: Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 1/2, hepatitis IgM, hepatitis B (HBsAg), hepatitis C antibody, syphilis, human T- lymphotrophic virus (HTLV) 1/II and vancomycin resistant Enterococcus (VRE), methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA), Salmonella, Shigella, E.coli O157 H7, Yersinia and Campylobacter.
2. Detection of ova, parasites, C. difficile toxin, norovirus, adenovirus, rotavirus on stool examination
3. History of any type of active cancer or autoimmune disease
4. History of risk factors for acquisition of HIV, syphilis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, prion or any neurological disease as determined by the donor questionnaire, appendix B.
5. History of gastrointestinal comorbidities, e.g., inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation or diarrhea
6. Receipt of blood transfusion from a country other than Canada in preceding 6 months
7. Antibiotic use or any systemic immunosuppressive agents in the 3 months prior to stool donation
8. Receipt of any type of live vaccine within 3 months prior to stool donation
9. Ingestion of nut or shell fish 3 days preceding donation if the recipient has known allergies to these food.
10. Any current or previous medical or psychosocial condition or behaviours which in the opinion of the investigator may pose risk to the recipients or the donor
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* Mild to moderate ulcerative colitis (Montreal classification)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosed as ulcerative colitis first time.
* No history of using Biologic, immunomodulatory therapy or corticosteroid therapy.
* With contraindication of endoscopy.
C: Main Inclusion Criteria:

1. Signed informed consent prior to initiation of any study-specific procedure or treatment. The subject or their legally authorized representative must be able to provide written informed consent and understand the potential risks and benefits from study enrollment and treatment.
2. Male or female subject ≥ 18 years of age.
3. A qualifying episode of CDI as defined by:

   1. ≥ 3 unformed stools per day for 2 consecutive days
   2. A positive C. difficile stool toxin assay.
   3. The requirement of CDI SOC antibiotic therapy (defined as 10 to 21 days of treatment with vancomycin \[125 mg QID\] and/or fidaxomicin \[200 mg BID\]).
   4. An adequate clinical response following SOC antibiotic therapy, defined as (\<3 unformed stools in 24 hours) for 2 or more consecutive days before randomization.

Main Exclusion Criteria:

1. Female subjects who are pregnant, breastfeeding, lactating, or planning to become pregnant during the study.
2. Known or suspected toxic megacolon and/or known small bowel ileus.
3. Admitted to or expected to be admitted to an intensive care unit for medical reasons (not just boarding). Note: nursing homes, rehabilitation, assisted living centers and acute care hospitals are acceptable.
4. Absolute neutrophil count of \<500 cells/ml\^3
5. Major gastrointestinal surgery (e.g. significant bowel resection or diversion) within 3 months before enrollment (this does not include appendectomy or cholecystectomy), or any history of total colectomy or bariatric surgery (bariatric surgery which does not disrupt the gastrointestinal lumen, i.e., restrictive procedures such as banding, are permitted).
6. History of active inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, microscopic colitis) with diarrhea believed to be caused by active inflammatory bowel disease in the past 3 months.
7. Concurrent intensive induction chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or biologic treatment for active malignancy (subjects on maintenance chemotherapy may only be enrolled after consultation with the study medical monitor).
8. Any history of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) within the previous 3 months.
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients with recurrent or relapsing CDI defined as EITHER(13):

  * At least three episodes of mild-to-moderate CDI and failure of a 6-8 week taper with vancomycin with or without an alternative antibiotic (e.g. rifaximin, nitazoxanide).
  * At least two episodes of severe CDI resulting in hospitalization and associated with significant morbidity.
* Willingness to accept risk of unrelated donor stool
* Willingness to be randomized to NGT vs. colonoscopic delivery.
* Able to consent for self, or parental assent/child assent as age appropriate.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Anatomic contraindication to NGT
* Delayed gastric emptying syndrome
* Known chronic aspiration
* Contraindication to colonoscopy (ASA 4 or more)
* High risk of bacterial translocation (Immunosuppression, cirrhosis etc)
* Pregnant or breastfeeding women
* Acute unrelated infection or comorbid illness exaccerbation

Answer: A