A stool bank set up by the CUHK Department of Microbiology to treat patients of Clostridioides difficile infections, an intestinal illness, at public hospitals with faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) procedures has received international certification for quality management of the highest standards.

The Hong Kong FMT Stool Bank received the ISO 9001 certification for the production of stool filtrate for FMT services in April. It is a recognition of the quality management, underscoring the department’s commitment to delivering high-quality stool filtrate while adhering to the strictest standards in management and continuous improvement.

The FMT service, commonly known as stool transplant, is conducted and led by CUHK Gastroenterology team of the Faculty of Medicine. The Protocol of Hong Kong FMT Stool Bank was published in leading international journal Gut.

The stool bank has been established to provide filtrate preparation for the FMT service for the treatment of recurrent CDI infections and other diseases. International standards to provide filtrate preparation for microbiome treatment are followed.

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is an important cause of serious diarrhoea related to antibiotic use. Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which involves taking healthy bacteria (microbiota) from the faeces of a carefully screened donor and transferring them to the gut of the recipient, has emerged as a useful approach to treating patients with refractory or recurrent CDI.

In 2017, the first FMT based on frozen preparation of stool was conducted in the Prince of Wales Hospital. In 2023, the Hospital Authority partnered with the Faculty of Medicine to provide a city-wide FMT service. FMT has come into service at the Prince of Wales, Tuen Mun, and Princess Margaret Hospitals since the third quarter of 2023. The partnership represents a collaboration between CUHK and HA to provide advanced scientific innovations to the public sector.