Active clinical trials for "Candidiasis, Invasive"

Invasive fungal infection is detecting candida species in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or urine. Clinical signs of invasive candidiasis may include lethargy, temperature instability, feeding intolerance, apnea, hypotension, respiratory distress, abdominal distension, and thrombocytopenia. Fungal infection has been associated with an increased risk of retinopathy of prematurity and chronic lung disease. Preterm and low birth weight infants have an immature immune system that predisposes them to infections with bacteria, viruses, and fungi. These infants usually require prolonged admission in the neonatal unit and there is often a need for the administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics which predisposes them to colonization with fungi that may invade to cause systemic disease8. Other risk factors for the development of invasive fungal infection include endotracheal intubation, abdominal surgery, the presence of a central venous catheter, administration of H2 antagonists, and steroids. Infection with Candida species is the third most common cause of bloodstream infection in premature infants. Mortality in preterm infants due to invasive candidiasis is around 20% and can be as high as 50% in infants weighing <1500g at birth. Invasive candidiasis is the second most common infectious cause of death in extremely preterm infants. The present study was conducted to determine the incidence of invasive candidiasis among preterm and very low birth weight infants in our neonatal unit and to evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic fluconazole in preventing invasive fungal infection. Based on the results of the present study institutional guidelines may be designed in our neonatal unit relating to antifungal prophylaxis in preterm and very low birth weight infants.

Candida species are both known to colonize physiologically mucosal surfaces in the human body without causing signs or symptoms of infection and to cause a wide variety of diseases, including mucocutaneous infections and potentially fatal invasive infections of the bloodstream or organs. Throughout the past decades, invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are of increasing importance even in non-neutropenic patients who are in need of treatment in intensive care units (ICU) or have undergone major surgeries. Several factors like parenteral nutrition, central venous catheters, broad spectrum antibiotics admission, disturbance of gastrointestinal mucosa integrity have been associated with an increased incidence of IFIs. Positive testing for 1,3-ß-D-Glucan (BDG) in serum is widely used to assess invasive fungal infections. It detects circulating BDG, which is part of the fungal cell wall of clinical relevant fungi such as Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp.. The issue of BDG kinetics after intestinal mucosal damage (e.g. mucositis or gut surgery) is poorly understood. Intestinal mucosal damage is characterized by a loss of integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier and increasing translocations of bacterial and/or fungal commensals of the gastrointestinal tract. In abdominal surgery a key concern in serum BDG kinetics is the potential introduction of BDG from surgical sponges and gauze or mucosal damage due to surgical damage of the mucosal integrity. Compared to open abdominal surgery in laparoscopic abdominal surgery sponges and gauze are rarely used. As life-threatening intraabdominal candidiasis occurs in 30 to 40% of high-risk abdominal surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients it is of utmost importance to obtain reliable BDG values for diagnosis or exclusion of invasive candidiasis.

Children with fungal infections will be divided into two groups by weight. Children weighing < 25 kg will receive a higher dose of study medication (per kg body weight) for 10 to 14 days than children weighing > 25 kg.

Infants and toddlers with fungal infections will receive 10 to 14 days of treatment with an antifungal drug. Safety and drug blood levels will be assessed

Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in high-risk patients, such as immunocompromised patients. Candida is currently the predominant fungal pathogen in these patient populations and is associated with significant morbidity and a high mortality. Micafungin (MCF) is a semisynthetic compound belonging to the new class of antifungal agents, the echinocandin lipopeptides, that has potent in vitro and experimental in vivo activity against a variety of pathogenic Candida species and Aspergillus species. Its applied indications are so the treatment and/or the prophylaxis of Candida and Aspergillus infections. MCF is currently licensed for the treatment of candidiasis at doses of either 100 or 150 mg a day. The efficacy of MCF is linked to the area under the concentration-time curve over 24 h in the steady state divided by the MIC (AUC0-24/ MIC ratio). On one hand: - It was demonstrated that 98% of invasive candidiasis patients with a MCF AUC/MIC ratio between 3 and 12 achieve microbiological clearance, as opposed to only 85% of those with an AUC/MIC ratio < 3. In the case of infections by Candida parapsilosis, which exhibits drug MICs that are 50- to100-fold higher, 100% of patients with an AUC/MIC ratio >285 achieve microbiological clearance, as opposed to 82% of those below that exposure level.(1) On the other hand: It is well known that patients of intensive care units (ICU) are characterized by particular pharmacokinetic parameters with higher apparent volume of distribution (VC/F) and/or higher apparent systemic clearance (CL/F). In a population of healthy volunteers, it was observed that CL/F of MCF presents a high interpatient variability.(2) Whether most ICUs patients achieve optimal AUC/MIC ratio thresholds at standard doses has not been investigated so far. In particular, lower AUCs might be reached in patients having the highest VC/F values. Such patients would then be at risk of therapy failure and would benefit from individualized-dosing strategies. In this context, the study of the pharmacokinetics of MCF in critically ill patients seems to be necessary.

This is an open, multicenter clinical trial of ABCD for invasive candidiasis and invasive aspergillosis.

Adults admitted to intensive care units are at risk for a variety of complications. Infections due to the fungus called candida are of particular concern. The study will test the possibility that caspofungin, a new therapy for fungal infections, can successfully reduce the rate of candida infections in subjects at risk. It will also test if caspofungin is useful in treating subjects for this disease when diagnosed using a new blood test that is performed twice weekly, permitting earlier diagnosis than current practice standards.

Fluconazole is the first-line agent in the treatment of invasive candidiasis. Studies showed inappropriate drug exposure causes high mortality in critically ill patients. Under-dosing and ineffective fluconazole trough serum concentrations were found in a recent retrospective study. Variability in fluconazole exposure can be easily measured with therapeutic drug monitoring. For patient groups who are at risk for drug underexposure, therapeutic drug monitoring can be valuable regards decreasing mortality.

The objective of this study is to determine whether pharmacokinetic parameters of anidulafungin correlate with disease severity and plasma protein levels in critically ill patients.

A randomized, single-dose, two-way crossover study to evaluate bioequivalence of two formulations of micafungin (50 mg/vial) after intravenous infusion of 50 mg micafungin in healthy volunteers under fasting conditions