Active clinical trials for "Influenza, Human"

Influenza virus accounts for numerous cases (epidemics) of respiratory illnesses each year worldwide and affects people of all ages. These epidemics typically occur in the winter months, and can result in substantial morbidity and mortality in persons at risk. Pregnant women may be more susceptible to morbidity and mortality associated with influenza infection. This increased risk may result from several factors including increased heart rate, stroke volume, and oxygen consumption, decreased lung capacity, and changes in immunologic function. Immunization of women during pregnancy can help to prevent infection in the woman herself and may also offer protection to the infant in two ways: by the passage of antibodies from mother to the fetus during pregnancy, and by preventing infection in the mother and therefore decreasing the infant's exposure risk after birth. In Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends the vaccine for pregnant women who are expected to deliver during influenza season because they will become household contacts of their newborn. Ideal timing of vaccination occurs in October or November since influenza outbreaks typically occur throughout the winter months. Despite the Canadian and American guidelines for influenza vaccination during pregnancy, it is unclear how many women are offered and/or actually receive the vaccine while pregnant. There is, however, evidence that women will accept the vaccine if offered. Specifically, in the Women's Health Care Centre at St. Michael's Hospital, it was found that 42% of women not only accepted but also received the influenza vaccination when offered. Innovative techniques will be required to continue to increase vaccination rates among vulnerable populations, including pregnant women. The purpose of the present study is to determine if the use of electronic reminders (text messages) increases the likelihood of receiving the influenza vaccine among pregnant women.

This is a global, multi-center, observational registry of participants with suspected or confirmed infection with avian influenza A H5N1. Data are collected through retrospective abstraction, from detailed case reports that may be published and available in the public domain, or as incident cases received directly from the treating physician or other medical personnel.

The purpose of this study is to develop a real-time diagnostic technique with e- Ab sensor for influenza virus detection, the investigators conduct a prospective clinical study. In comparison with results from direct sequencing of influenza virus, the investigators evaluate the performance of e- Ab sensor, including reproducibility, sensitivity, specificity, and cross-reaction. The potential factors which may interfere with the results would be investigated. With such technique, the investigators hope to make early diagnosis and give influenza virus patients early treatment to reduce the complications and case-fatality rate.

This is a specimen collection protocol designed with the purpose of understanding the immune responses to influenza in children and adult subjects through collection of blood specimens and influenza medical history data. This protocol will allow the investigators to evaluate influenza-specific immune responses to a variety of influenza strains in a broad age range of the U.S. population early and late in the 2010-2011 influenza season. Immune responses will be evaluated using blood samples. The underlying hypothesis for this protocol is that the detailed characterization of immune responses to influenza in subjects from different age groups will further the understanding of immune responses cross-reactivity and advance development of influenza vaccines that are cross-reactive against old, new and re-emerging influenza strains.

The surveillance of influenza virus among children with febrile reparatory complaints attending the pediatric clinic in Shantou is an epidemiologic study to identify the type (influenza A or B) and the subtype of Influenza A of the isolates from children with febrile respiratory complaints who attend the pediatric clinic of the first Affiliated Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou Guangdong, China. Also this study investigates the genetic composition of all segments of isolated strains using standard molecular techniques and to make available the new strains of influenza viruses isolated from such children for the formulation of influenza vaccines. Clinical manifestation of the respiratory illness is recorded and single nasopharyngeal swab is obtained from eligible children. Viral culture is performed on the nasopharyngeal secretions. If influenza is isolated, this is characterized if it belongs to influenza A or B. If the virus is characterized as influenza A, further antigenic studies is done to determine subtype of influenza. Viral isolates is further studied to determine the genetic composition of the virus. Information obtained from the viral isolates is shared with the WHO and the CDC.

The objective of this study is to demonstrate the clinical performance of the Quidel Reader Influenza A+B test and Quidel Reader with the following sample types: nasal swab, nasopharyngeal swab, and nasopharyngeal aspirate/wash. Clinical performance will be based on comparison of Quidel Reader Influenza A+B results to cell culture at a Central Reference or Alternative Laboratory.

Administration of colostrum enriched with anti-Flu antibodies may alter host's response to the flu virus.

The purpose of this research study is to collect information on problems that patients with the novel H1N1 influenza and/or the seasonal influenza experience. Novel H1N1 flu is also called the swine flu. Seasonal influenza is also called the regular flu. The purpose of this study is to collect information from patients who are infected with either the novel H1N1 or the seasonal flu and to determine what makes patients critically ill with these infections. The goal is to develop a registry that will aid investigators in determining specific markers that lead to development of severe illness in these infections.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the immune response to a routine influenza vaccination. Influenza vaccination is given as part of routine standard of care in these individuals and is not part of the study protocol. The study will evaluate for a change in response to common antigens over time after influenza vaccination to determine if changes are related to the development of chronic rejection after solid-organ transplantation. We hypothesize that the influenza vaccine contributes to the alloreactivity of T cells verses common HLA types in the donor pool.

Influenza is an important public health problem. Organ transplant patients are particularly susceptible to severe disease. Also, they shed higher quantities of virus for longer durations, leading to greater contagious potential, thereby potentially serving as nodes of spread in the community. Therefore, improved strategies to prevent influenza in this population is an important public health concern. Standard vaccination is poorly immunogenic post-transplant and new vaccine strategies are needed. Adjuvanted vaccines contain molecules that create a strong local inflammatory response and they attract immune cells to the site of injection, increasing the immunogenicity of the vaccine antigen. Recently seasonal influenza vaccines containing adjuvants have become available in Canada but have only limited information in transplant patients. This randomized trial is designed to assess the immunogenicity of an adjuvanted vaccination strategy compared to a standard vaccine for seasonal influenza in a cohort of adult organ transplant recipients.