Active clinical trials for "Filariasis"

The study will be an open label cohort study with 2 two-treatment groups 2). Both groups will be treated with a single oral administration of Diethylcarbamazine (DEC) 6 mg/kg + Albendazole (ALB) 400 mg + Ivermectin (IVR) 200 µg/kg (IDA). One treatment group will include men and women with W. bancrofti infections (>50 Mf/ml, N=30). The other treatment group will include men and women who are free of W. bancrofti infection based on negative blood tests for both microfilariae (Mf) and circulating filarial antigen (N=30). Active follow-up for adverse events (AE) will be for 72hrs and passive follow-up for 7 days following treatment. Participants will be followed again at 1 year to evaluate treatment efficacy. Individuals with severe AEs (grade 3 or higher) will be transported to the Agboville District Hospital and cared for by the hospital staff. Based on treatment of over 100 Lymphatic filariasis (LF) infected individuals any AEs develop within the first 72 hours following treatment and uncommonly up to 7 days post-treatment. All individuals will be admitted to a single health center or hospital in Côte d'Ivoire. Subjects will be monitored for 72-hours after treatment for safety and to facilitate sampling for drug analyses and safety tests. Participants will undergo clinical monitoring every 6 hours to evaluate potential adverse effects of Ivermectin + Diethylcarbamazine + Albendazole (IDA) treatment. Participants will also be monitored for hematologic, or biochemical abnormalities during the period of observation.

Introduction. Lymphatic filariasis is a devastating mosquito-transmitted parasitic disease that causes lymphedema or elephantiasis of the leg in 15 million persons, the majority of whom are women. In these persons, frequent bacterial infections ("acute attacks") of the legs adversely affect physical health, economic well-being, and quality of life. Prevention of bacterial infections through hygiene and skin care can result in significant improvements in lymphedema and patient well-being. Methods. To determine the extent to which antibacterial soap can help reduce the incidence of acute bacterial infections of the lower limbs in persons with filarial lymphedema, 200 patients of the Ste. Croix Hospital lymphedema treatment clinic in Leogane, Haiti randomly assigned to receive either antibacterial (Safeguard) or placebo (Camay) soap and acute attacks monitored monthly for 12 months. Both groups received specific instructions on washing and skin care.

Trachoma and lymphatic filariasis (LF) are two 'Neglected Tropical Diseases' (NTDs), infectious diseases that affect millions of poor people in countries in the developing world. Trachoma is an eye infection that can lead to painful scarring of the eyelids and blindness later in life. LF can lead to swelling of usually the limbs (elephantiasis). Trachoma and LF are preventable and treatable diseases. One important treatment strategy is annual Mass Drug Administration (MDA): Communities receive drug treatment once a year. Azithromycin is given for trachoma. Ivermectin and albendazole are given for LF. Trachoma MDA and LF MDA are currently separated campaigns. Combined MDA campaigns for trachoma and LF, where three drugs would be given at one time, would reduce costs and decrease the burden on the health system. Before combined MDA with three drugs (azithromycin, ivermectin and albendazole) could be recommended, we would have to demonstrate that the safety profile of this treatment with three drugs is acceptable. An earlier study in Mali in 2010 (AZIVAL) comparing standard MDA (one week space between the two MDA campaigns) with combined MDA (trachoma and LF MDA on the same day) showed that the safety profiles were comparable; but the results of the study were not statistically significant and we could not use them to make an official recommendation. The AZIVAL 2 study has been designed to answer the questions that remain after the AZIVAL study performed in Mali in 2010. If the safety results of the AZIVAL 2 study are acceptable, an official recommendation for combined MDA with azithromycin, ivermectin and albendazole can be drafted. We will conduct the AZIVAL 2 study in Mozambique. The target population (inclusion and exclusion criteria) is the same as in the AZIVAL study in Mali. Main criteria are: Age ≥ 5 years and ≤ 65 years, height ≥ 90 cm, if female, not pregnant or breast-feeding. Important differences between the AZIVAL study and the AZIVAL 2 study are a) smaller clusters for sufficient power (average household size is 5 people), b) placebo to double-blind participants and study staff for azithromycin, c) the study area will have undergone fewer previous rounds of MDA for LF and none for trachoma, and d) smartphones for data entry.

This study is looking at the difference in exhaled nitric oxide levels in patients with and without laboratory evidence of filariasis.

This study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Tuberculosis Research Centre and YRG-Care in Chennai, India, will examine how treatment of lymphatic filariasis in HIV-infected patients influences the amount of HIV virus in the blood and the progression of HIV infection to AIDS. Filarial infections are common in Chennai, and it is important to understand whether treatment of filariasis affects the course of HIV disease. The information gained from this study could be used to modify treatments for people both with HIV and filarial infections. Patients 18 years of age and older who are receiving treatment for HIV infection at the Government Hospital HIV clinic or YRG-Care may be eligible for this study. Two groups of patients will be recruited - patients with both HIV and filarial infections, and patients who have HIV infection alone, without filariasis. Candidates are screened with a medical history and review of medical records, physical examination, and blood and stool tests. Women have a urine pregnancy test. Within one month of screening, all participants receive a single dose of diethylcarbamazine and albendazole, a drug regimen commonly used to treat filarial infection. Patients are followed closely for the first 2 weeks after treatment to check for side effects. They are then seen at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the treatment dose for a physical examination and blood test.

The standard regimen for elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) in PNG is annual administration of two drugs at the same time. The two drugs are called "DEC" (Diethylcarbamazine, 6 mg/kg body weight) and "ALB" (Albendazole 400 mg for all individuals regardless of weight), which are given one time per year for five to seven years with the aim to interrupt transmission that occurs through local mosquito vectors. These drugs kill the larval forms of the parasite in the blood that are necessary for continuing transmission of infection by the mosquito vector. The two drugs were previously thought to have little effect on adult worms, the stage of the parasite which is responsible for production of the larval forms that appear in the blood of infected people. Recent data, however, suggest that DEC and ALB can kill or render adult worms unable to produce the larval forms (sterilization). Therefore, giving these drugs twice per year for three consecutive years may increase the rate of killing or sterilizing of adults worms over regimens that involve administration of the same drugs only one time per year. The overall goal of this research is to compare the anti-parasite activity of DEC plus ALB given one time per year, the current standard for MDA to eliminate LF, to DEC plus ALB given two times per year (at 6-month intervals) in order to reduce the total duration and cost of MDA to eliminate LF in PNG. Adults (18 years and older) and minors (age 5 to 17 years) will be invited to participate in this study. Study participants will be asked to give finger stick blood samples to check LF infection status and stool samples to determine how well the drugs eliminate intestinal worm infections. Sampling will be done by repeated cross-sectional surveys in the same communities, but not necessarily the same persons, one time per year over a 3-year period. As part of the annual treatment infection surveillance the study team will also collect demographic data (place of residence, family relationship, age, use of bed nets), history of swelling of the arms and legs (elephantiasis), scrotal swelling (hydrocele), acute filarial fever accompanied by extremity swelling, and history of prior treatment for LF.

Approximately 4,000 people will participate per year. The study population will include females and males over 5 years of age who live in filariasis and onchocerciasis endemic areas. Subject selection will not be based on health status. Two sites will be studied, and each study will last for 4 years. Participants will be studied only once in cross-sectional surveys. Some subjects may be included in more than one annual population survey, but this is not a longitudinal study. Investigators will compare annual and semiannual mass drug administration (MDA) for lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, and investigators will compare the impact of these MDA schedules on soil transmitted helminth infections. MDA will be administered by others (Ivorian Ministry of Health). The investigators will test the hypothesis that semiannual mass drug administration (MDA) is superior to annual MDA for elimination of lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis and for control of soil transmitted helminth (STH) infections. Compare the relative impact and cost effectiveness of annual vs. twice yearly mass drug administration (MDA) for elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) in these populations. Compare the relative impact and cost effectiveness of annual vs. twice yearly mass drug administration (MDA) for elimination of onchocerciasis in these populations. Study the impact of annual vs. semiannual MDA on soil transmitted helminth (STH) infection in these populations.

Wuchereria bancrofti, is a mosquito-transmitted parasite that causes deforming lymphatic filariasis in the tropics. Improved treatment methods have led to new thinking that it should be possible to interrupt transmission and eliminate this major public health problem by repeated, annual cycles of mass treatment with new single dose combination drug regimens. Egyptian villages involved in the study will be surveyed. Household members above 4 years of age will be tested for filariasis. Also, children in the first year classes of primary schools (5 to 6 years of age) will be tested for parasite infection. Village populations will be treated for filariasis as part of the MOH national filariasis elimination program. Children under age 5, pregnant women, and people with severe underlying illness are excluded from the program.

According to the World Health Organization, lymphatic filariasis, a mosquito-borne parasitic disease, is the second leading cause of disability worldwide. Across 81 countries, approximately 120 million people are infected with the disease, and of those infected, an estimated 40% reside in India alone. The most disfiguring symptoms of lymphatic filariasis, elephantiasis and lymphedema, cause long-term suffering in patients who are then often embarrassed or even rejected from their communities. Because of the disease's debilitating physical and social effects on patients, this study will explore the intersection of disability and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in lymphatic filariasis patients in India. Specifically, HRQoL and disability in lymphatic filariasis subjects and age- and gender- matched control subjects will be compared. Two HRQoL tools , the general Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and a disease-specific instrument developed by a dermatology group in India will be used to gauge HRQol. In addition, the demographic and disease-specific factors associated with HRQoL and disability in filarial lymphedema subjects will be identified.

This study will assess the impact of 2-drug (DA) or 3-drug (IDA) regimens on lymphatic filariasis infection parameters in communities. Parameters measured will include: circulating filarial antigenemia (CFA) assessed with the Filariasis Test Strip (FTS), antifilarial antibodies tested with plasma and microfilaremia (assessed by night blood smears and microscopy).