text: A man stuck by a serious bowel infection has been cured after undergoing a faecal transplant, with stools donated by his daughter. Len Barnes shed three stone as he battled the life-threatening condition Clostridium difficile, suffering bouts of diarrhoea. He lost his appetite and endured continuous pain. Despite numerous courses of antibiotics during long spells in hospital, the 75-year-old was showing no signs of improvement. It was then that specialists suggested a faecal transplant. Len Barnes, 57, from Stockton, has been cured of the severe bowel infection Clostridium difficile after undergoing a faecal transplant. His daughter Debbie, left, acted as donor . 'I'd never heard of it before,' said Mr Barnes. 'I thought, "come on, you're taking the mickey". 'But my doctor explained that mixing healthy poo with my poo - and transferring it back into my bowel mixed with warm water - would give someone's healthy bacteria the chance to fight with my bad bacteria. And when gastroenterologist Chris Wells raised the issue of finding a suitable donor, Mr Barnes' daughter Debbie stepped in. The 52-year-old's stools were tested to ensure they were suitable and free from harmful bacteria. Mr Barnes, from Stockton, was then admitted to the University Hospital of North Tees. The procedure aims to re-balance the bacteria in the gut, by introducing bacteria from the faeces of healthy people. Once Ms Barnes' stools were approved, they were mixed with water and filtered. The solution was then transplanted into Mr Barnes' gut via an endoscope - a long, thin, flexible tube that has a light source and a video camera at one end. 'I had a bit of sedation but watched it all happening on the screen in the endoscopy unit,' he said. Gastroenterologist Dr Chris Wells performed the procedure at the University Hospital of North Tees . 'I was interesting. I knew it had worked straight away. 'The next day Dr Wells said I could go home and everything was back to normal.' Dr Wells, said: 'Faecal transplantation doesn't sound very appealing but it's a very effective remedy in patients like Len. 'Transplanting faeces from one person to another does seem a bit unusual but actually it's using healthy gut bacteria to fight off infection. 'Our bowels are packed full of billions of bacteria and these play an important role in maintaining health.' Dr Wells said there had been a significant reduction in the number of C-diff cases in the trust over the past few years but it was reassuring to know that faecal transplant was now an option to treat the condition. In March last year the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published new guidelines, naming faecal transplants as a recognised form of treatment for C-diff infections. Experts deemed the procedure is 'safe enough to be used in the NHS'. An analysis of seven studies, involving 558 patients, revealed nearly all patients were cured. In one study, the infection came back in around one in 20 patients within five weeks, compared with more than half of the patients given antibiotics. In another study, the infection came back in around one in 50 patients between 29 days and four years after faecal transplant. Nice concluded it didn't make much difference if the transplant was from a relative or stranger, or if the transplant had been frozen or not.
target: Len Barnes, 75, lost three stone while battling clostridium difficile .
  When antibiotics failed to work specialists suggested a faecal transplant .
  Mr Barnes' daughter Debbie stepped in to help, and donated her stools .