View clinical trials related to Opportunistic Infections.
Filter by:The objective of this project is to determine clinical and biological predictors of Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS) occurrence in HIV infected patients who are started on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and to obtain more insight into the pathogenesis of this syndrome. The investigators will prospectively study HIV infected patients in Sub Saharan Africa who will be initiated on ART and are at risk to develop IRIS in all its different appearances. In these patients, the investigators will assess the value of clinical features and plasma biomarkers to predict IRIS, and the investigators will obtain insight into which inflammatory pathways become activated during IRIS. This project will provide novel knowledge about this clinically highly relevant healthcare problem in a resource poor setting, namely in Lambaréné, Gabon, in the Central African rainforest belt. In Gabon little research has been done in the field of HIV. The epidemiological pattern of IRIS in Gabon will be described. Promising putative plasma biomarkers will be validated for their use in daily practice.
In this study, it is hypothesized that helminth infections modulate immune responses against HIV-1 infection resulting into increased HIV-1 multiplication, faster progression to AIDS and increased episodes of AIDS-related opportunistic infections. Furthermore, the effect of helminth infections on progression of HIV-1 infection is dependent on helminth infection intensity, host background immunity, nutritional status, demographic factors and socio-economic status. Also, treatment of helminth infections using praziquantel and albendazole among HIV-1 infected individuals will lead to reduction in HIV-1 viral loads, improvement of CD4+ counts, CD4+/CD8+ ratio and Hb levels, improved weight gain and reduction of episodes of HIV-1 related opportunistic infections. In addition, HIV-1 infection is associated with poor anthelminthic treatment outcome as compared to non-HIV infected individuals
The purpose of this study is to compare the incidence of opportunistic infections between HIV-infected patients who continue and discontinue primary or secondary prophylaxis for opportunistic infections in whom receiving combination antiretroviral therapy and achieve undetectable HIV-1 RNA, but CD4 cell counts are less than 200 cells/mm3.
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.
At least three studies in sub-Saharan Africa have demonstrated a decrease in morbidity or mortality among HIV-infected adults who took daily cotrimoxazole (trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole) [CTX] prophylaxis. Because of the demonstrated beneficial effect, high tolerability and low cost of CTX, the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) recommends that HIV-infected persons with symptomatic HIV or depressed CD4 counts receive daily CTX. The effect of this recommendation on subsequent development of antimicrobial resistance to antifolates among important pathogens needs to be evaluated. The investigators measured the change in the prevalence of markers of antifolate resistance among P. falciparum, and the change in the prevalence of CTX resistance among S. pneumoniae, and E. coli in HIV-infected individuals receiving CTX daily prophylaxis. In addition, the investigators measured the change in the prevalence of naso-pharyngeal or oro-pharyngeal carriage of CTX resistant S. pneumoniae among children living in households where an HIV-infected adult was receiving CTX daily prophylaxis.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of starting anti-HIV drugs in HIV infected patients who are being treated for opportunistic infections (OIs). This study will follow two patient groups: those who received anti-HIV drugs soon after being diagnosed with an OI and patients with OIs who deferred beginning anti-HIV drugs until after recovering from the OI.
The purpose of this study is to understand how changes in the immune system of HIV-infected patients affect their risk for 3 serious infections: Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis, or CMV organ disease. The purpose also is to understand how anti-HIV medicines may improve the immune system in these patients. (This purpose reflects a change in the AIDS-related [opportunistic] infections studied.) Presently, HIV-infected patients who have had PCP or CMV disease stay on lifelong therapy to prevent the return of the disease. This study is trying to see if a special lab test can help identify which patients can stop this preventive therapy without having another episode of PCP or CMV organ disease. (This rationale reflects a change in the AIDS-related infections studied.)
The purpose of this study is to see if it is safe and effective to give Viracept to AIDS patients who are being treated for MAC.
Patients are exposed to infectious agents regularly, regardless of their immunologic status. Traditionally clinicians have decided to institute prophylaxis based on epidemiologic factors, skin test (i.e. PPD), or immunologic parameters. A quantitative and specific method that is non-invasive, such as quantitative PCR, would be desirable to more precisely define those who would benefit from prophylaxis. Similarly, when patients develop disease and are being treated, quantitative, non-invasive techniques are needed to assess response to therapy. This project is designed to develop and test quantitative tests using blood, urine, or sputum samples.
The purpose of this study is to find out if it is safe for HIV-positive children who are responding well to their anti-HIV treatment to stop taking medications that prevent AIDS-related infections (opportunistic infections) such as pneumonia and other bacterial infections. This is an observational study, meaning children will only be monitored to see if they develop any infections. Children have been receiving medications to prevent complications of HIV infection, such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease, or other bacterial infections. It is common for HIV-positive patients with low CD4 counts to receive these preventive medications. However, these drugs can have serious side effects, they are expensive, and it is possible for bacteria resistant to the drugs to grow. For these reasons, it may be beneficial to the child to stop taking these preventive medications if he/she has been on anti-HIV (antiretroviral) therapy and has improved CD4 counts. This study will look at how many children who stop taking their medications develop opportunistic infections.