Active clinical trials for "Strongyloidiasis"

This study will explore faster and easier ways to detect infection with the intestinal parasite Strongyloides stercoralis and learn more about the conditions under which it causes serious disease. Ordinarily, the Strongyloides helminth (type of intestinal worm) causes only few, if any, symptoms, but in people with weakened immunity it may be very serious, and even deadly. People between 5 and 80 years of age with known or suspected S. stercoralis infection, or infection with another helminth, such as filariasis, that might cause a cross-reaction with S. stercoralis may be eligible for this study. Participants found to be infected with S. stercoralis will be treated with ivermectin, thiabendazole, or albendazole. In addition, they will undergo the following tests and procedures: Blood tests and stool samples: Samples will be collected before and after treatment to check general health status and immune function, and to look for parasites in stool. Up to 50 milliliters (10 teaspoons) of blood will be drawn in adults and up to 25 ml (5 teaspoons) in children. Skin tests: A test similar to those used for tuberculosis and allergies will be conducted to determine if there is sensitization to products of the parasite. Such a test might be used as a rapid method to diagnose the infection. About three drops of several different antigens (proteins) are injected into the skin of the arm. After 15 to 20 minutes, the area is checked to see if a red spot has formed and, if so, the spot is measured.

the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently committed to promote the control of strongyloidiasis within 2030 targets for STH control programmes. A specific target is to establish by 2030 an efficient strongyloidiasis control programme in school aged children (SAC), envisaging ivermectin preventive chemotherapy (PC) of SAC at risk of morbidity due to strongyloidiasis. The monitoring of such ambitious PC activity strictly requires appropriate diagnostic tools, but fundamental gaps exist in this field. Indeed, until now at the moment no consensus method for the diagnosis of S. stercoralis infection is recommended and the absence of a gold standard test limits capacity for effective diagnosis, surveillance and disease control. The aim of this project is to provide fundamental information on the performance and applicability of diagnostic methods for the assessment of S. stercoralis infection to inform the forthcoming WHO global strongyloidiasis control program to be implemented as a part of the WHO 2030 disease control targets. ESTRELLA is a cross-sectional study in an area of high prevalence of strongyloidiasis (San Lorenzo, Esmeraldas, Ecuador). The study will have a school-based approach, and each enrolled SAC will be asked to supply fecal and blood samples for testing with different methods for the diagnosis of S. stercoralis infection.

NIDIAG is an international collaboration on integrated diagnosis-treatment platforms, funded by the European Commission (EC). NIDIAG aims to develop an improved, patient-centred system for delivering primary health care in resource-constrained settings. NIDIAG will investigate three clinical syndromes, namely (i) persistent digestive disorders, (ii) persistent fever and (iii) neurological disorders, due to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The current study focuses on persistent digestive disorders, which are defined as diarrhoea or abdominal pain that last for at least 2 weeks. While acute diarrhoea has been studied globally, few research activities have focused on the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of long-lasting diarrhoeal episodes (2 weeks and longer) in the tropics. The spectrum of possibly involved pathogens includes more than 30 bacterial, parasitic and viral infectious agents. This lack of data may be explained by the fact that people suffering from NTDs might only seek care at a late stage of the disease. Furthermore, health systems in affected regions are often weak and their primary health-care centres are often under-staffed and lack essential diagnostic equipment. The hypothesis of this study is that development of an evidence-based syndromic approach can lead to better diagnosis and management of NTDs in patients with persistent digestive disorders. The study will be carried out in two West African countries (Côte d'Ivoire and Mali) and in two Asian countries (Indonesia and Nepal). The study will follow a "case-control" design and patients and controls will be prospectively enrolled. In order to address the knowledge gaps, three specific objectives will be pursued. First, the contribution of NTDs to the 'persistent digestive disorders syndrome' will be assessed. Second, the value of clinical features and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for the diagnosis of target NTDs that give rise to persistent digestive disorders will be determined. Third, the clinical response to standard empiric and targeted treatment of several NTDs in patients with persistent digestive disorders will be evaluated. These objectives will provide a long-term benefit for the communities by improving the clinical decision-making process for the target NTDs and thus, better diagnostic work-up and patient management can be achieved in the study countries and other similar resource-constrained countries

Strongyloidiasis is a worm infection which affects more than 100 million people, mostly in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and can cause severe illness in people with reduced immunity. In the UK, the number of people with Strongyloides is not known. At Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (ICHNT) , screening for Stongyloides has recently been introduced as a standard-of-care for all patients undergoing BMT. In this study, investigators will perform two cross-sectional surveys and report the prevalence of Strongyloides in BMT recipients at ICHNT , as well as comparing clinical outcomes before/after the introduction of routine testing.