Active clinical trials for "Mycobacterium Infections"

The purpose of this study is to determine if infection with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) occurs in other parts of the body before it is found in the blood. This study also evaluates the relationships between the amount of HIV in the blood, immune system functions, and the presence of MAC infection. HIV-positive patients are at risk for MAC infection because their immune systems have been weakened by HIV. It is hoped that aggressive treatment with anti-HIV drugs may improve their immune systems enough to prevent against MAC.

Use of oral clarithromycin for treatment of chronic lung disease due to Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare and other non-tuberculous Mycobacteria

Opportunistic infections are caused by bacteria, mycobacteria, fungi or viruses that do not normally cause infections in people with healthy immune systems. Some of these infections can cause public health concerns, especially in areas with limited access to treatment. People who acquire opportunistic infections usually have diseases that affect their immune systems, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or do not have enough white blood cells to fight the infection. However, some people acquire opportunistic infections even though they have normal amounts of white blood cells and are free from known diseases that harm their immune systems. This study will investigate some of the reasons that otherwise healthy people get opportunistic infections to learn more about why some people are more likely to have them. This study will include up to 210 HIV-negative males and females older than 18 years of age who have opportunistic infections. The patients will be drawn from multiple sites in Thailand and Taiwan including Khon Kaen University Hospital, Siriraj Hospital, Ramathibodi Hospital, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Cheng-Kung University Hospital Patients will undergo an initial evaluation that will include a physical examination, medical history, and blood and urine testing. Additional tests will be conducted if the researchers consider that the tests are medically necessary to treat the opportunistic infection; the results of the tests will be reviewed and saved for study purposes. Depending on the severity of the infection, the initial evaluation may take more than 1 day to complete. After the evaluation, patients will be given standard and appropriate medicines to treat the infections. Patients will return for follow-up visits to allow researchers to monitor their condition and to assess how well the patient is responding to the treatment. Patients will be evaluated by the study researchers at least once a year for 2 years following the initial treatment.

This study is designed to find out whether HIV-positive patients whose immune systems have improved after receiving anti-HIV treatment should take azithromycin to prevent Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease. This study also examines the possibility of putting off MAC prevention treatment in patients who respond well to anti-HIV drug therapy. Azithromycin is approved for the prevention of MAC disease in people with HIV and low CD4 cell counts. However, some people who have taken azithromycin have been found to carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria (germs that can grow despite the presence of drugs used to kill them). It is not known whether the risks associated with taking azithromycin outweigh the risk of getting MAC disease.

To evaluate three doses of clarithromycin in children with AIDS and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection who are receiving concurrent antiretroviral therapy. Before more extensive evaluation of this promising drug for treatment of MAC infection in children can be done, it is important to study the pharmacokinetics of this drug in this population, to get information regarding its use in pediatric patients receiving currently available antiretroviral drugs, and to get information on the antimycobacterial activity of this drug.

SUMMARY Rationale: Buruli ulcer, caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is an ulcerative disease endemic in West Africa. It often leads to functional limitations. Treatment was by extensive surgery, until in 2005 gradually antibiotic treatment for eight weeks with rifampicin and streptomycin was added. Observation of Buruli ulcer lesions of limited size during antibiotic treatment showed that during treatment there is a paradoxical increase of the lesion, with a decrease of the lesion after week 14. Current WHO protocols advise to decide whether surgery is needed four weeks after the start of antibiotics. This might be too early in the healing process. The investigators hypothesize that delay in surgery is safe, and that it results in a reduction of the number of surgical interventions. Objectives: Primary Objective of this study is to compare the need for surgical treatment in standard timing of surgery at the end of eight weeks antimicrobial treatment with a policy to postpone surgical treatment until week 14. Secondary Objectives are to study whether postponing surgery leads to less extensive surgery and a change in frequency of functional limitations; Study design: Patients will be randomized for surgery at week 8 after start of antibiotic treatment and week 14 after start of treatment. Reasons for treating doctors to decide to intervene with surgery will be according to current clinical practice and will be clearly defined in this protocol. Standard care of eight weeks of rifampicin and streptomycin will be given. All patients will be followed and lesional size using acetate sheet recordings will be used during follow-up. Study population: Patients with a clinical picture of Buruli ulcer disease confirmed by diagnostic tests in the districts covered by the Buruli ulcer centers in Lalo and Allada, Benin. Patients who are pregnant, have a contraindication for general anaesthesia and children below three years old will be excluded. 130 Patients in each treatment arm will be included to detect a difference in percentage of patients needing surgery of 20 percent. Main study parameters/endpoints: Primary outcome measure is the number of patients healed without surgery. Secondary outcome measures are the extent of surgery by measurement of lesional size, functional limitations after the end of treatment and one year after the start of treatment and the duration of admission.

OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate whether thalidomide modulates toxic host inflammatory responses in patients receiving antitubercular therapy. II. Evaluate whether thalidomide modifies tumor necrosis factor-mediated toxic symptoms of HIV and mycobacterial infections, and limits progression of HIV immunodeficiency. III. Evaluate whether thalidomide stimulates immunity in patients with HIV and/or mycobacterial infections.

To assess the feasibility of using culture and staining techniques to quantify tissue Mycobacterium avium Complex (MAC) burden in bone marrow. To correlate and compare changes in MAC bone marrow burden with quantitative MAC blood culture results at baseline and after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment. MAC is easiest to detect in the blood, although doctors generally believe that MAC in blood is just "spill-over" from infection of other parts of the body. Traditionally, studies of potential treatments for MAC focus only on MAC changes in the blood. This study compares MAC changes in blood to those in bone marrow, which is another tissue where MAC is often found.

Clofazimine (CFZ) is a promising drug for the treatment of NTM diseases. CFZ is highly active in vitro against M. abscessus and M. avium, the most common NTM pathogens, and shows synergy with macrolides and amikacin. The results from limited clinical studies with CFZ-based treatment regimens are promising. CFZ is currently considered an alternative drug for patients with M. avium complex infections, who are intolerant of first-line drugs. CFZ is a first-line oral drug for treatment of M. abscessus infections. CFZ might prove to be a cornerstone in NTM treatment, but its optimal dosage is not known. The current dose for adults is 100 mg oncedaily. However, due to the complex pharmacokinetics (PK) of CFZ - it is highly protein bound, extremely lipophilic and accumulates in fatty tissues resulting in a long elimination half-life of ~30 days - it takes several months before steady state, and presumably effective, concentrations are achieved. With the use of a loading dose regimen concentrations similar to those at steady state could be reached faster, possibly leading to improved early treatment efficacy. The overarching aim of this study is to contribute to dose optimization of CFZ in the treatment of NTM diseases. It will be an explorative, single-center, one-arm, open label, pharmacokinetic study. A number of 10 patients with pulmonary or extrapulmonary NTM disease will be included. Patients will receive a loading dose regimen of 300 mg once daily for 4 weeks and will then continue with a standard dose of 100 mg once daily until a total 4 months of treatment with CFZ. The primary objective of this study is to describe the PK of CFZ, after 4 weeks of treatment with a loading dose regimen of 300 mg once daily, in adult patients with pulmonary or extrapulmonary NTM disease

The proposed clinical trial will confirm the therapeutic absorption of glutathione following topical Glutaryl application in increasing blood GSH levels without an invasive procedure. GOAL: Confirm therapeutic level of glutathione following topical transdermal application. HYPOTHESIS: The hypothesis of the proposed study is that the glutathione administration will increase RBC levels of glutathione above 80%. AIM: Determine a non-invasive way to increase glutathione levels in the plasma and blood cells. This aim will be accomplished as follows: STEP 1: We will recruit eligible healthy participants in the two study groups who are not currently taking any glutathione or N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) supplementation. STEP 2: Determine baseline levels of GSH, free radicals and cytokines through analysis of venipuncture blood draws. STEP 3: Study subjects will be asked to spray themselves with either placebo or Glutaryl four times twice a day for three days on the ventral part of the abdomen. Measure the levels of GSH, free radicals and cytokines after 1 hour, 4 hour and 72 hours.