Active clinical trials for "Infections"

The purpose of this study is to compare the additional use of gloves (with handwashing before and after gloving) for all patient contact while infants have intravenous (central or peripheral) access in a RCT. Preterm infants <1000 grams or less than 29 weeks gestational age will be randomized after birth to either a handwashing-gloving group or handwashing only group. The primary outcome will be the incidence of invasive infections (bacterial or fungal) or necrotizing enterocolitis. Secondary outcomes will include hospital days, preterm morbidities, mortality, and hospital costs.

At the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, a simplified screening for group B streptococci (GBS) of vagina and perineum has been performed since several years. Reliable detection of GBS is critical to prevent GBS transmission during delivery with antimicrobial prophylaxis. Transmission of GBS to the neonate may otherwise lead to severe infection and complications in the neonate. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other international organizations recommend a vaginal and additional rectal swab.We therefore aim to test this simplified screening against the international gold standard. Antibiotic resistant bacteria may reside in the genital tract of an expected mother and may be transmitted to the new-born during delivery. In case of infection of the pregnant woman or the neonate, application of standard antimicrobial treatment will insufficiently cover these extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria. Therefore, colonization with ESBL in pregnancy needs to be known to potentially deliver adequate antimicrobial treatment.

With aging of the general population and broadening indications, the number of pacemaker recipients is steadily increasing. The incidence of infections of the implanted material, a dreaded major complication, is also rising. The diagnosis is evident in presence of an abscessed pocket, cutaneous breakthrough of the pulse generator or vegetations attached to the lead. On the other hand, a proportion of patients present with less specific clinical manifestations and a pacemaker recipient may be recurrently hospitalized for an infectious disorder of unknown origin despite detailed investigations. Without proof of lead infection, removal of the system without confirmation of its infection is usually proposed, despite the known morbidity and mortality associated with the extraction procedure (0.5 to 2%). Positive culture of the leads implies that the leads were involved in the infectious process. In recent years, 18FDG-PET-CT scan has made promising contributions in different areas including imaging to detect infection at different organ sites. Absence of hyperfixation of the lead, identified by 18FDG-PET/CT scan may be an accurate sign of absence of pacing system infection. The extraction of intracardiac implanted material, when it is indicated by the current standard strategy, may result in negative bacteriological cultures in 10 to 25% of patients, even when they did not receive antibiotics before extraction. The hypothesis of the study is that a new strategy adding 18FDG-PET-CT to the current strategy may avoid or reduce these false-positives. Therefore it is hypothesized that the sensitivity of 18FDG-PET-CT will be high enough to avoid unnecessary extractions of uninfected leads, resulting in a high negative predictive value of the new diagnostic strategy incorporating 18FDG-PET-CT. The present study aims at providing valid estimates of diagnostic accuracy parameters of 18FDG-PET-CT, especially its sensitivity. For this clinical study, firstly, 18FDG-PET-CT exam will be performed in patients, with suspicion of pacing or defibrillation lead infection, hospitalized in cardiology unit; secondarily, an intervention for the extraction of the intra-cardiac material, under general anesthesia, will be practiced and then a bacteriological culture for extracted material will be required. The end of study visit is complete the last day of material extraction. The follow up will last 2 to 7 days.

Hypothesis: the antibody directed against certain antigens of Clostridium difficile would be predict the Clostridium difficile infection. This study evaluates the weight of immunity by studying patients with Clostridium difficile infection versus controls (each patient is associated with two controls : diarrheal control without Clostridium difficile, and non-diarrheal control with or without Clostridium difficile). Recurrence and the kinetics of immune response following infection Clostridium difficile are studied by following the patients during three months. There are also building biological samples collections clinically documented: sera, stool and strains.

The present study was to evaluate the usefulness of a whole-blood interferon-r release assays (IGRAs) as diagnostic tool of the latent tuberculosis infection for healthcare workers.

Infection with either HIV or hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects immune system responses. The purpose of this study is to investigate the immune responses to two different vaccine formulations in HIV-infected, HCV-infected, and HCV/HIV- coinfected individuals.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is used for the treatment of end-stage renal disease in approximately 25% of patients requiring dialysis in Canada. The most common complication is bacterial infection or 'peritonitis'. Peritonitis causes severe acute abdominal pain and may lead to failure of peritoneal dialysis treatment, hospitalization or death, particularly if left untreated. Amongst the strategies used to prevent peritonitis, patients are instructed on the regular use of a prophylactic ointment around the point where the catheter exits from the body. At the present time most centers in Canada routinely prescribe mupirocin ointment for use at the exit site, however newer ointments have become available. One such ointment is Polysporin Triple. The aim of this study is to determine if catheter related infections can be significantly reduced by the routine application of Polysporin Triple in comparison to mupirocin ointment. A multi-centre, randomized, double blind, controlled study is proposed. Participants will be randomized to either mupirocin or Polysporin Triple and followed for 18 months or until the first catheter related infection, death or catheter removal. The difference in catheter related infection rates will be compared between the two groups. We anticipate the results of this study will allow clinicians to prescribe the ointment most likely to reduce infections. By doing so this will reduce the complication rate associated with peritoneal dialysis and, ultimately improve survival.

The overall objective of this study is to assess the feasibility and potential impact of using a targeted testing approach and 2 interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA) to screen for latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI) among military recruits. The current policy of universal application of the Mantoux tuberculin skin test (TST) to screen for LTBI may result in many TST reactions among recruits who are at low risk for LTBI. The central hypothesis is that targeted testing by use of the questionnaire will reduce unnecessary testing of low-risk recruits without affecting the identification of higher-risk recruits. The secondary hypothesis is that many discordant results between the TST and IGRA may be explained by cross-reactivity to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) with the TST.

The investigators earlier clinical study in 754 young Finnish men demonstrated a significant negative association of serum 25-OHD concentration with acute respiratory tract infections. The present study aimed to determine whether vitamin D supplementation may decrease the incidence of acute respiratory tract infections.

The main purpose of this study is to determine if applying mupirocin into soldiers noses who are colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) will reduce infections in them and their cohort of fellow soldiers.