Active clinical trials for "Chlamydia Infections"

Reactive arthritis, also known as Reiter's syndrome, is a form of arthritis that occurs as a reaction to an infection elsewhere in the body. It is characterized by inflammation of the joints, tendons, urogenital tract, and eyes. Pain and swelling in the knees, ankles, and feet are common. This study will determine the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy in treating people with chlamydia-induced reactive arthritis that has lasted for more than 6 months.

To compare the effectiveness of silver nitrate drops, erythromycin ointment, or no medication in preventing neonatal conjunctivitis caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and other eye infections. To compare side effects of the two prophylactic agents.

Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and heart disease are much more common in men than in women. However, as women grow older, especially after menopause the incidence of atherosclerosis and heart disease increases. These findings suggest that estrogen may be protective and help in preventing heart disease. Studies of large groups of post-menopausal women suggest that hormone replacement therapy (therapy that includes estrogen) reduces the risk of heart disease. Estrogen causes favorable changes in particles that carry cholesterol in the blood stream and improves function of blood vessels. Estrogen may also stimulate the immune system's ability to fight off infections that may lead to or contribute to atherosclerosis. Researchers believe two specific infectious agents (Chlamydia pneumoniae and human cytomegalovirus) may cause damage to the lining of blood vessels resulting in inflammation and the development of atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study is to determine if estrogen treatment can change how the immune system responds to chronic infections, by Chlamydia pneumoniae and human cytomegalovirus, in postmenopausal women.

The WHO has initiated a program to eliminate blinding trachoma by the year 2020, in large part by mass oral azithromycin distributions. It is not clear how frequently or for how long these treatments are necessary. Here we assess the frequency and duration of treatment.

The study evaluated if interactive theater in school sex education affects student knowledge, attitudes and behavior regarding condom use. The intervention group got a play, value exercises, chlamydia games, condom school and interactive replay with professional actors and staff from a youth guidance center. The control group got standard sex education from school staff, based on the education guidelines of the Swedish National Agency for Education.

Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) has been shown to reduce rates of persistent or recurrent gonorrhea and chlamydia infection in heterosexual patients, but has not been evaluated for use among men who have sex with men (MSM). CDC guidelines support the use of EPT for partner management with heterosexual patients, but note the absence of evidence necessary to make an equivalent recommendation for the use of EPT with MSM. Randomized clinical trials to assess the impact of EPT on partner notification, treatment, and STI re-infection among MSM are critical to the development of evidence-based partner management guidelines. Recent data from urban Peru has identified prevalences of rectal and pharyngeal gonorrhea and chlamydia ranging from 5-20%. The elevated burden of disease among MSM in Peru suggests that frequent transmission of undiagnosed gonorrhea and chlamydia through MSM sexual networks may be a factor contributing to the persistently high incidence of HIV infection among MSM in the region. The investigators propose a pilot evaluation of the effect of EPT on partner notification and treatment among MSM in Peru diagnosed with gonorrhea or chlamydia at any anatomic site. Specific Aim 1: To explore the social norms and structural factors influencing partner notification and treatment among MSM in Peru. Specific Aim 2: To determine the effect of EPT on anticipated and actual partner notification among MSM diagnosed with gonorrhea or chlamydia infection. Specific Aim 3: To develop preliminary data on rates of gonococcal and chlamydial re-infection among MSM randomized to receive EPT compared with standard partner notification counseling. The proposed study will provide pilot data on the use of EPT with MSM diagnosed with gonorrhea or chlamydia and form the basis for a subsequent Phase III clinical trial of EPT as an STI control method among MSM in Latin America.

Patients diagnosed with chlamydial infections (a sexually transmitted disease) are asked to notify their sex partners and tell them to seek medical evaluation. This project tests an enhancement to the materials provided to patients to help convince their partners to seek evaluation against the standard of care, which is a brief notification instruction. The desired outcomes are greater levels of notification by participants of their partners and lower levels of reinfection among participants.

Non-professional community leaders may be at a great advantage in reaching otherwise hard to reach populations for the purpose of advising on sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention (lay health advisors), health care access, and model health behavior. Latino migrant farm workers are at increased risk for STD and might benefit from such lay health advisors. The study will examine whether this strategy is a useful one for STD prevention in Latino migrant farm workers in rural and small town areas of North Carolina.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of partner notification by general practice nurses with referral to a specialist clinic for people with genital chlamydia diagnosed in a community setting. We hypothesised that referral to a specialist would be more effective in ensuring treatment of the sexual partners of infected people than the simpler nurse-led strategy.

The investigators propose to develop and pilot an HIV prevention intervention based on rectal STI testing, counseling, and treatment for MSM in Peru. The investigators will use nucleic acid testing to screen 750 behaviorally high-risk MSM for rectal gonorrheal and/or chlamydial (GC/CT) infection. GC/CT-positive subjects will receive single-dose antibiotic treatment and single-session Personal Cognitive Counseling (PCC) (n=50) or standard post-test counseling (n=50). A GC/CT-negative control group (n=50) will also be enrolled to compare biological outcomes including changes in levels of inflammatory cytokines following rectal STI. The intervention is based on three interrelated objectives: 1) To use periodic rectal STI nucleic acid testing to identify the members of the MSM population at greatest short-term risk for HIV infection; 2) To provide single-dose antibiotic treatment to control the immune activation and mucosal inflammation caused by rectal GC/CT infection that increase cellular risk for HIV transmission; and 3) To use Personal Cognitive Counseling (PCC) to understand and modify recent high-risk sexual practices that led to rectal STI acquisition and that increase future HIV risk. The investigators propose to screen 750 behaviorally high-risk MSM for rectal GC/CT infection to enroll 100 GC/CT-positive individuals (using a conservative 15% prevalence estimate) and 50 GC/CT-negative controls (matched by age and baseline frequency of URAI). GC/CT-infected participants will be given single-dose antibiotic therapy and randomized to receive single-session PCC (n=50) or standard post-test counseling (n=50). The primary outcome will be the impact of PCC on self-reported sexual risk behavior (URAI). Secondary outcomes will assess: 1) Feasibility/Acceptability of the STI screening program; 2) Impact of GC/CT infection and treatment on levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, TNF-αand IL-1β) in rectal mucosa; 3) Prevalence of persistent/recurrent rectal GC/CT; and 4) HIV incidence in GC/CT-infected and -uninfected MSM.