View clinical trials related to Gastrointestinal Infection.
Filter by:Approximately 40 million people in the US are served by private, and frequently untreated, wells. Our best estimate is that 1.3 million cases of gastrointestinal illnesses (GI) per year are attributed to consuming water from untreated private wells in the US, but in reality, there are no robust epidemiological data that can be used to estimate cases of GI attributable to these sources. We propose the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) to estimate the burden of GI associated with private well water. We will test if household treatment of private well water by ultraviolet light (UV) vs. sham (inactive UV device) decreases the incidence of GI in children under 5. We will also examine the presence of viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens in stool and well water from participants. These data will fill a knowledge gap on sporadic GI associated with federally-unregulated private water supplies in the US.
The primary objective in this study is to establish a list of host cellular proteins that mediate norovirus infection. Norovirus is one of the most common pathogens attributed to diarrheal diseases from unsafe food. It is also the primary cause of mortality among young children and adults in foodborne infections. Norovirus is not just a foodborne burden. In a recent meta-analysis, norovirus accounts for nearly one-fifth of all causes of (including person-to-person transmission) acute gastroenteritis in both sporadic and outbreak settings and affects all age groups. Undoubtedly, norovirus is of paramount public health concern in both developed and developing countries. Research efforts to better understand norovirus pathobiology will be necessary for targeted intervention. From Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus to Zika virus, efforts to identify host factors important for mediating virus infection has always been a research priority. Such information will shed light on potential therapeutic targets in antiviral intervention. Norovirus virus-host interaction studies have been hampered by the lack of a robust cell culture model in the past 20 years. In 2016, norovirus has finally been successfully cultivated in a stem cell-derived three-dimensional human gut-like structure called enteroid or mini-gut. In this study, intestinal stem cells will be isolated from duodenal biopsies collected from participants, followed by differentiation into mini-guts. Genome-wide genetic screening for host essential and restrictive factors will be performed on infected mini-guts by knockout CRISPR and gain-of-function CRISPR SAM, respectively. Shortlisted candidates will undergo preliminary functional validation in cell lines. These data will provide insights into potential therapeutic targets against norovirus infection.