Infectious Disease

Prospective, longitudinal studies of people with acute infections are essential to understand risk factors, clinical manifestations, pathobiology, and management strategies. Observational studies can provide data necessary to select interventions and strategies for testing in clinical trials and to develop key design features of trials. Observational studies can be particularly important for establishing an early knowledge base after emergence of a new pathogen, as illustrated by the recent emergence of influenza A (H1N1), SARS-CoV-2, and Mpox. This observational study protocol describes collection of data and biospecimens from sites across the world for characterizing acute infections in hospitalized patients. The protocol is designed to study respiratory infections, infections outside the respiratory tract, established infectious diseases, and emerging infectious diseases. Data generated in this study will be used to efficiently characterize acute infectious diseases and plan future clinical trials.

This project aims to address invasive fungal infections in patients, by precision dosing of voriconazole based on CYP2C19 genotype testing with Bayesian dose-forecasting dosing software to develop patient-centric and maximally effective dosing regimens. This study investigates if voriconazole increases the proportion of patients achieving therapeutic exposure at day 8 of dosing compared with standard care; and will assess factors that influence the implementation of genotype testing and dosing software in the healthcare system, including fidelity, feasibility, acceptability and cost-effectiveness. It will recruit at least 104 kids and adults in a parallel-group randomised clinical trial. A hybrid feasibility sub-study will assess the scalability of genotype-directed dosing to ensure sustainable integration of the interventions into the clinical workflow. A health economic sub-study will evaluate the costs, health outcomes and cost-effectiveness of genotype-directed testing compared to standard care.

In low and middle-income countries, children admitted to hospital are not similarly ill, and do not all have a comparable prognosis. In fact, understanding at first encounter their risk of developing adverse outcomes (including mortality) could allow a more focused management and the tailoring of specific interventions to decrease in hospital mortality, and post discharge adverse longer-term outcomes. This clinical trial, part of the EChiLiBRiST larger project ("Development and validation of a quantitative point-of-care test for the measurement of severity biomarkers to improve risk stratification of fever syndromes and enhance child survival") has the two-fold objective of: 1. Assessing whether a POINT-OF-CARE rapid triaging test (PoC RTT) based on the quantitative measurement at the bedside of the "prognostic" biomarker sTREM-1 (soluble-triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1) can reliably identify those admitted children with a higher risk of adverse outcomes; and 2. Assessing whether the therapeutic intervention (the L-arginine precursor, L-Citrulline, key in the nitric oxide biosynthesis), administered orally for 28 days to those children aged 1-\<60 months identified as "moderate-to-high risk" by the prognostic biomarker can improve outcomes as compared to those receiving an indistinguishable placebo. This second objective will be assessed in a prospective multi-country, multi-site, individually randomised, two-arm, placebo-controlled, double blind clinical trial involving \~888 children 1-\<60m of age admitted to hospital and determined to be at high risk of adverse outcomes by their baseline sTREM-1 levels. The trial will compare the efficacy of a twice-daily dose of L-citrulline syrup vs placebo (200-300mg/kg/day depending on weight-band; for 28 days) in reducing adverse outcomes in children with severe disease. The trial will be running independently but in parallel in two high-mortality settings in Mozambique and in Ethiopia.

The overall aim of the study is to provide evidence that introducing novel biomarkers evaluation at triaging (first clinical assessment), in combination with IMCI-based guidelines (SoC), is a viable strategy to enhance rapid and accurate identification of febrile children at increased risk of life-threatening infections compared to IMCI-based strategies alone (SoC), and to demonstrate whether this results in enhanced decisions of admission/referral vs discharge, and enhanced overall health outcome of children with acute fever in sub-Saharan Africa.

FAVIDOSE trial is a Phase I randomized, double blind controlled, monocentric, dose escalation clinical trial. The primary purpose of this trial is to evaluate tolerance of high doses of favipiravir for 14 days in healthy volunteers. This trial also looks to characterize favipiravir pharmacokinetics in blood and favipiravir levels in sperm. A pharmacogenetics analysis will be conducted in an attempt to identify genetic variants of metabolism and transport enzymes of favipiravir to explain the inter-individual variability of pharmacokinetic parameters of favipiravir. Three sequential dose levels including distinctive participants: * level 1: D1: 2400 mg BID; D2 to D13: 1600 mg BID and D14: 1600 mg in the morning; * level 2: D1: 2400 mg BID; D2 to D13: 2000 mg BID and D14: 2000 mg in the morning; * level 3: D1: 2400 mg BID; D2 to D13: 2400 mg BID andD14: 2400 mg in the morning. Three study groups of maximum of 8 participants, 6 receiving favipiravir and 2 receiving placebo per dose level, three dose levels proposed. Seven additional participants with the same follow up will be included and randomized (6:1 ratio) at the maximum tolerated dose level to allow a satisfactory accurate characterization of pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenetics of favipiravir and their determinants (maximum 39 participants in total, taking into account 8 participants - 2 per dose level - replaced because loss of follow-up before the end of treatment).

Registry intended to provide a data repository and reporting infrastructure for the surveillance of CytoSorb device use in real-world critical care settings, and to serve as an objective, comprehensive, and scientifically-based resource to measure and improve the quality of patient care

Nearly half of child deaths occur during the neonatal period, and 80% of those occur in babies with low birthweight. Although tremendous progress has been made towards reducing under-five mortality globally, declines in neonatal mortality lag behind those observed in older children. Low birthweight babies are at increased risk of poor outcomes compared to those who are term-appropriate for gestational age, including mortality, stunting, and growth failure. Recent evidence has demonstrated that the incidence of wasting and linear growth failure is highest between birth and 3 months of age, substantially earlier than previously thought. Interventions are urgently needed to improve outcomes in low birthweight babies; however, these interventions must not interfere with breastfeeding and thus some well-established interventions used to treat or prevent malnutrition in older children cannot be considered. The investigators recently demonstrated that biannual mass azithromycin distribution reduces all-cause childhood mortality by approximately 25% in infants aged 1-5 months, with stronger effects seen in underweight infants. This study did not include neonates due to the risk of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) that has been hypothesized to be associated with macrolide use during early infancy. However, our study team documented only a single case of IHPS among 21,833 neonates enrolled in a trial of azithromycin versus placebo administered to neonates aged 8-27 days for prevention of infant mortality, documenting no major risk of IHPS associated with azithromycin. Here, the investigators propose an individually randomized trial where participants will receive a single oral dose of azithromycin (administered either during the neontal period or 21 days after enrollment), two does of oral azithromycin spaced 21 days apart, or two doses of placebo to evalute if azithromycin improves nutritional outcome and reduces infectious burden among neonates aged 1-27 days who are either low birthweight (\<2500 g at birth) or underweight (weight-for-age Z-score \< -2 at enrollment). The primary outcome will be weight-for-age Z-score at 6 months of age compared between arms. The investigators anticipate that the results of this study will provide definitive evidence on azithromycin as an early intervention for low birthweight/underweight neonates, who are at the highest risk of adverse outcomes.

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent health threats of our time, and Norwegian hospitals were required to reduce the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics with 30% by the end of 2020. In the current proposal, the investigators aim to assess the efficacy and safety of early discontinuation of antibiotic therapy in adult patients infected with respiratory viruses. A general recommendation to treat all instances of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients with antibiotics leads to significant antibiotic overtreatment. In 2008, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of multiple respiratory virus nucleic acids simultaneously. The wide availability of such nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) for rapid viral detection together with chest radiographs has the potential to define patients who can be managed without antibiotics. Akershus University Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in Norway, with a catchment area of more than 550,000 people. In 2012 to 2013, the majority of patients admitted to Akershus University Hospital with suspected CAP and a positive viral NAAT were treated with antibiotics, a prescription pattern representing antibiotic overtreatment. The investigators accordingly hypothesize that discontinuation of antibiotic therapy in patients with moderately severe disease and airway sample positive for respiratory viruses is safe and non-inferior to continuation of antibiotic therapy.

Patients referred to internal medicine wards are becoming increasingly complex and fragile. Despite deep knowledge of their specific disorders, steps are required to improve overall management of their acute and chronic conditions. The main objective of the study is to identify demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological markers of disease severity and activity in patients with diseases treated at general medicine wards (respiratory disease, immune-mediated disease, sepsis, metabolic disease, rare disease, frailty, pregnancy pathology) in order to improve their diagnosis, monitoring and treatment processes.

Only a fraction of individuals infected with microbes develop clinical disease. This observation raises fundamental questions about the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. There is a complex interaction between environmental (microbial and non-microbial) and human (genetic and non-genetic) factors. This will determine the quality of the immune response against the infectious agent and the clinical manifestation. By definition, individuals who die from an infection have defective immunity to the pathogen in question (immune agent (immune deficiency). The investigation of individual variability in the development of infectious diseases began in the early 20th. The first evidence to support the hypothesis that individual variability variability and immune deficiencies were hereditary came from observations of familial cases or genetic isolates genetic isolates (from a homogeneous population) of rare or common infectious diseases, which in some cases Mendelian heredity hat predisposition to infectious diseases runs in families even more so than diseases associated with less determined environmental factors, such as certain cancers. such as certain cancers. Finally, studies comparing the rate of concordance of infectious diseases between monozygotic and dizygotic twins also implicate genetic factors in disease susceptibility. These observations were validated by the discovery of genetic defects associated with severe infectious diseases, leading to proof of concept. While a number of hereditary immune deficiencies associated with susceptibility to multiple pathogens or microorganisms, a growing number of new and rare new and rare immune deficiencies conferring restricted susceptibility to infections caused by a single caused by a single pathogen family, or even a single pathogen, in otherwise healthy children, have recently been identified (one gene, one pathogen). As a result, a dozen Mendelian clinical syndromes characterized by restricted susceptibility are now known. Over the last 20 years, it has been proven that these "idiopathic" infections were immune deficiencies. The investigators now wish to study new severe infections, including but not limited to viral, fungal and bacterial infections. viral, fungal, bacterial and parasitic infections. This should lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of each disease, the development of new therapeutics and better patient care.

Dengue fever, an arbovirus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, is a public health problem in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world. There is currently no antiviral treatment and vector control has shown its limits. The 2018 European marketing authorization of the tetravalent chimeric yellow fever / dengue vaccine (Dengvaxia®) is a major step forward in the fight against the disease. Dengvaxia® is indicated for the prevention of dengue due to serotypes DENV 1-4 in subjects aged 9 to 45 years with a history of infection with the dengue virus and living in endemic areas (seroprevalence of at least 70% in the target population). Dengue seroprevalence data in the French Caribbean territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe dates back to 2011 and concerns only adult blood donors aged 18 to 70 years. To date, no data exists for individuals aged 9 to 17 years in the region. In order to implement an optimal vaccine introduction strategy for these territories, the main aim of the DengueSEA study is to estimate the seroprevalence of the Dengue viruses (DENV 1-4) in 9-17 year olds giving a blood sample as part of care in hospital departments of the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe.

Murine typhus is a disease caused by Rickettisa typhi, an obligate intracellular bacterium transmitted by rodent fleas. The disease has a worldwide distribution; however the true burden is unknown, related to its non-specific presentation and lack of access to diagnosis in many regions. A systematic review of untreated murine typhus based on observational studies of a total of 239 patients has estimated the mortality associated with the disease at between 0.4% and 3.6%. Scrub typhus is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi and transmitted by the larval stage of chigger mites (Trombiculidae family). It has been estimated to affect at least one million people each year. A systematic review found varying reports of the mortality associated with untreated scrub typhus ranging from 0-70% (median 6%). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based diagnosis of rickettsial infections is only available in one centre (Mahosot Hospital) in Vientiane. A number of hospitals use a variety of point-of-care antibody tests to diagnose rickettsial infections however many of these have not been validated and they are of uncertain sensitivity and specificity. In 2006 results of a two year prospective study of 427 patients presenting to Mahosot Hospital with a febrile illness and negative blood cultures showed that 115 (27%) patients had an acute rickettsial infection, confirmed by serological testing. Among these patients, 41 were diagnosed with murine typhus and 63 with scrub typhus. Antibacterial agents with activity against rickettsial pathogens include doxycycline, azithromycin, chloramphenicol and rifampicin. Azithromycin is often reserved for pregnant women or children below the age of 8 years due to lasting concerns after the tetracycline-associated staining of growing bones and teeth in the past. Evidence is accumulating that doxycycline is superior to azithromycin for the treatment of rickettsial disease. Clinical treatment failures have occurred following azithromycin treatment of murine typhus. The relationship between rickettsial bacteria load and both disease severity and response to treatment has not been characterised. Rickettsial concentrations in blood are generally low, of the order of 210 DNA copies/mL blood for R. typhi and 284 DNA copies/mL blood for O. tsutsugamushi. At present, there is no standard antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) method for R. typhi and O. tsutsugamushi. The gold standard method for AST for Rickettsia pathogens is the plaque assay which determines minimal inhibitory concentration (MICs) from the smallest antimicrobial concentration inhibiting rickettsial plaque forming unit formation. This method is laborious and time consuming, taking approximately 14-16 days based on species to yield a result. Molecular detection methods are useful for diagnosing patients infected with rickettsial pathogens and has been applied for antibiotic susceptibility testing. Antibiotic susceptibility testing based on DNA synthesis inhibition detecting by quantitative PCR (qPCR) for O. tsutsugamushi clinical isolates has been reported. However, the relationship between antibiotic susceptibility profiles and treatment response has not been studied. There is a need to develop a reliable ex vivo method to characterize the treatment response and compare susceptibility of R. typhi and O. tsutsugamushi to different agents.

Patients of scientific interest who have provided a commercial sample to LabCorp or one of its' affiliates will have their de-identified remnant samples and/or data used for research and development. Other commercial patients will be followed up on after informed consent is obtained.

Delirium is an acute confusional state that is experienced by many older adults who are admitted to hospital. To treat delirium the underlying cause needs to be identified promptly, but this is challenging. One of the potential causes of delirium is infection. Urine tests show that most patients experiencing delirium have bacteria in their urine, however, bacteria in the urine is common among older adults, and does not automatically indicate an infection is present. As a result it is difficult to know whether a lower urinary tract infection is present as individuals with delirium are frequently unable to report clinical signs of infection - symptoms of pain or discomfort with urination, having to urinate more frequently or pelvic discomfort. Very often, individuals with delirium are treated with antibiotics despite the fact that it is unknown whether antibiotics help to improve delirium in cases where bacteria in the urine is present. This proposed study is a randomized controlled trial that will examine if adults (age 60 or older) with delirium and suspected infection benefit from taking antibiotics.

SWIFT-ID-101 is a single site survey study designed to assess potential participants' eligibility to screen for industry-sponsored clinical trials for diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of infectious diseases such as in the areas of HIV, vaccines, and other infectious-diseases areas. A physician will oversee the informed consent process, after which participants will be surveyed on demographics, medical/surgical history, physical examination, comorbidities, and any current symptoms. Informed consent will be done electronically (preferable) or on paper. Informed consent may be done in-person or remotely, depending on patient preference. Information related to HIV, hepatitis B and C, other infectious diseases, or substance use disorder will also be obtained if applicable. Site staff may collect vital signs, fingerpick testing, urine drug screens, blood draws, EKG, and pregnancy tests. Some testing may be recommended in a fasting condition. A doctor will review medical history and results of the above evaluations with the participant to determine study suitability via clinical interview. The doctor may reach out to the patient's current treating physicians, other providers, and pharmacies to determine eligibility for clinical trials. A follow-up phone call may be needed to discuss testing results and/or trial eligibility. If a participant is deemed eligible for future trials and if the participant remains interested, counseling on contraception requirements for trials will be discussed.

The objective of this study is the development, implementation and management of a registry of patient data that captures clinically meaningful, real-world, data on the diagnosis, nature, course of infection, treatment(s) and outcomes in patients with complex disease globally.

iSpecimen aims to create a clinical partner network of hospitals, laboratories, academic institutions, and other healthcare organizations ("institutions") capable of providing researchers and educators ("researchers") with annotated biospecimens for use in biomarker discovery and validation; diagnostic test and instrumentation development and validation; therapeutics development; other medical research including the impact that various specimen collection and handling methods and conditions have on research results; and in education such as researcher or physician training (collectively "research").