A Protocol for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Using Freeze-Dried Capsules: Dosage and Outcomes in 171 Dogs with Chronic Enteropathy

Background: In veterinary medicine, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) shows promise for treating chronic enteropathy (CE) in dogs, but standardized protocols for dosage, preparation, and administration are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of freeze-dried FMT capsules (cFMT) an...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Francesca Brugnoli, Barbara Simionati, Ilaria Patuzzi, Angiolella Lombardi, Maria Cecilia Giron, Edoardo Savarino, Sonia Facchin, Giada Innocente
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Pets
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2813-9372/2/2/16
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850164623725035520
author Francesca Brugnoli
Barbara Simionati
Ilaria Patuzzi
Angiolella Lombardi
Maria Cecilia Giron
Edoardo Savarino
Sonia Facchin
Giada Innocente
author_facet Francesca Brugnoli
Barbara Simionati
Ilaria Patuzzi
Angiolella Lombardi
Maria Cecilia Giron
Edoardo Savarino
Sonia Facchin
Giada Innocente
author_sort Francesca Brugnoli
collection DOAJ
description Background: In veterinary medicine, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) shows promise for treating chronic enteropathy (CE) in dogs, but standardized protocols for dosage, preparation, and administration are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of freeze-dried FMT capsules (cFMT) and to investigate the existence of a possible optimal dosage for dogs with CE. Methods: A multicenter prospective study was conducted on 171 dogs with CE, treated with freeze-dried FMT capsules (100 mg for dogs ≤ 10 kg, 200 mg for dogs > 10 kg). The dosage of freeze-dried FMT material was expressed in different ways, to investigate the effect of putative active principles. Clinical outcomes were assessed by classifying dogs as responders (R) or non-responders (NR) based on veterinary evaluations from a questionnaire, along with changes in the CIBDAI score and variations in 15 clinical signs of chronic enteropathy (CE). Data were collected before and 15 days after treatment. Results: Of the 111 dogs included in the final analysis, 82% showed a positive clinical response, with no significant differences in clinical response between capsule sizes or dosage, irrespective of how it was expressed. Conclusion: Effective dosage range for cFMT administration in dogs affected by CE was defined. The oral administration of 100 mg of freeze-dried cFMT daily for a month was shown to be sufficient to achieve an 80% response rate. Further studies are needed to explore additional factors that may influence the overall effectiveness of cFMT in treating CE.
format Article
id doaj-art-82a68fa32fa342cf8a36afea37f4844b
institution OA Journals
issn 2813-9372
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Pets
spelling doaj-art-82a68fa32fa342cf8a36afea37f4844b2025-08-20T02:21:57ZengMDPI AGPets2813-93722025-04-01221610.3390/pets2020016A Protocol for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Using Freeze-Dried Capsules: Dosage and Outcomes in 171 Dogs with Chronic EnteropathyFrancesca Brugnoli0Barbara Simionati1Ilaria Patuzzi2Angiolella Lombardi3Maria Cecilia Giron4Edoardo Savarino5Sonia Facchin6Giada Innocente7Research & Development Division, EuBiome S.r.l., 35131 Padova, ItalyResearch & Development Division, EuBiome S.r.l., 35131 Padova, ItalyResearch & Development Division, EuBiome S.r.l., 35131 Padova, ItalyResearch & Development Division, EuBiome S.r.l., 35131 Padova, ItalyDepartment of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, ItalyDepartment of Surgery, Oncological and Gastrointestinal Science, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, ItalyResearch & Development Division, EuBiome S.r.l., 35131 Padova, ItalyResearch & Development Division, EuBiome S.r.l., 35131 Padova, ItalyBackground: In veterinary medicine, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) shows promise for treating chronic enteropathy (CE) in dogs, but standardized protocols for dosage, preparation, and administration are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of freeze-dried FMT capsules (cFMT) and to investigate the existence of a possible optimal dosage for dogs with CE. Methods: A multicenter prospective study was conducted on 171 dogs with CE, treated with freeze-dried FMT capsules (100 mg for dogs ≤ 10 kg, 200 mg for dogs > 10 kg). The dosage of freeze-dried FMT material was expressed in different ways, to investigate the effect of putative active principles. Clinical outcomes were assessed by classifying dogs as responders (R) or non-responders (NR) based on veterinary evaluations from a questionnaire, along with changes in the CIBDAI score and variations in 15 clinical signs of chronic enteropathy (CE). Data were collected before and 15 days after treatment. Results: Of the 111 dogs included in the final analysis, 82% showed a positive clinical response, with no significant differences in clinical response between capsule sizes or dosage, irrespective of how it was expressed. Conclusion: Effective dosage range for cFMT administration in dogs affected by CE was defined. The oral administration of 100 mg of freeze-dried cFMT daily for a month was shown to be sufficient to achieve an 80% response rate. Further studies are needed to explore additional factors that may influence the overall effectiveness of cFMT in treating CE.https://www.mdpi.com/2813-9372/2/2/16cFMTdogfreeze-dried capsuleslyophilizationdosagechronic enteropathy
spellingShingle Francesca Brugnoli
Barbara Simionati
Ilaria Patuzzi
Angiolella Lombardi
Maria Cecilia Giron
Edoardo Savarino
Sonia Facchin
Giada Innocente
A Protocol for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Using Freeze-Dried Capsules: Dosage and Outcomes in 171 Dogs with Chronic Enteropathy
Pets
cFMT
dog
freeze-dried capsules
lyophilization
dosage
chronic enteropathy
title A Protocol for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Using Freeze-Dried Capsules: Dosage and Outcomes in 171 Dogs with Chronic Enteropathy
title_full A Protocol for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Using Freeze-Dried Capsules: Dosage and Outcomes in 171 Dogs with Chronic Enteropathy
title_fullStr A Protocol for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Using Freeze-Dried Capsules: Dosage and Outcomes in 171 Dogs with Chronic Enteropathy
title_full_unstemmed A Protocol for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Using Freeze-Dried Capsules: Dosage and Outcomes in 171 Dogs with Chronic Enteropathy
title_short A Protocol for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Using Freeze-Dried Capsules: Dosage and Outcomes in 171 Dogs with Chronic Enteropathy
title_sort protocol for fecal microbiota transplantation using freeze dried capsules dosage and outcomes in 171 dogs with chronic enteropathy
topic cFMT
dog
freeze-dried capsules
lyophilization
dosage
chronic enteropathy
url https://www.mdpi.com/2813-9372/2/2/16
work_keys_str_mv AT francescabrugnoli aprotocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT barbarasimionati aprotocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT ilariapatuzzi aprotocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT angiolellalombardi aprotocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT mariaceciliagiron aprotocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT edoardosavarino aprotocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT soniafacchin aprotocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT giadainnocente aprotocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT francescabrugnoli protocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT barbarasimionati protocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT ilariapatuzzi protocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT angiolellalombardi protocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT mariaceciliagiron protocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT edoardosavarino protocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT soniafacchin protocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy
AT giadainnocente protocolforfecalmicrobiotatransplantationusingfreezedriedcapsulesdosageandoutcomesin171dogswithchronicenteropathy