View clinical trials related to Helminthiasis.
Filter by:The most common soil transmitted helminthic infections(STHI) includes infection with Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and Hookworm. Growth retardation, malnutrition, anemia, impaired cognitive function and immunosuppression are main manifestations in children. Even within the developing world, wide differences exist in prevalence rates. The poorest countries have higher levels of STHI than those with a lower incidence of poverty. According to an estimate made by the WHO, the prevalence of A. lumbricoides, T. trichiura and Hookworm in South Asia was 27%, 20% and 16% respectively. Given that the prevalence of STHI in urban slums in Bangladesh is much higher than the other parts of the world and Asia and that there are major health and socio-economic consequences of such infections, it is important that we come up with effective means of reducing the prevalence of such infections. 60-80% of preschool children in urban slums of Bangladesh are infected with these STHI due to poor hygiene . At present deworming at six months interval is recommended but the effectiveness of this regimen of dewormig is questionable. 2. Hypothesis: Ante-helminthic treatment at every three month is more effective than ante-helminthic treatment at every six months to reduce soil transmitted helminthic infection, to reduce diarrheal and respiratory illness to improve nutritional status in preschool children. 3.Objective: The main objectives of the proposed study is to compare the relative efficacy of two different ante-helminthic treatment regimens to reduce the prevalence of STHI, diarrheal diseases, respiratory illness and to improve nutritional status in children 4. Design: The population of the study will be preschool children aged 2-5 year and will be selected randomly from an urban of Dhaka. They will be divided into two groups randomly. One group will get ante-helminthic at every three months interval and the other groups will get at six months interval for one year. Stool samples will be collected at the baseline and after three months completing one-year treatment of the above mentioned regimen. Blood haemoglobulin and nutritional status will also be measured at baseline and after three months of completion of treatment as mentioned above. The treatment will be 400 mg of Albendazole in a single dose. 5. Potential Impact: The findings of the research can be implemented by the government and non-government organization.
The WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) developed a Community-Directed Treatment (COMDT) approach, which has been adopted in the control of onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. WHO has recommended the use of COMDT approach in the control of schistosomiasis and STH infections. The COMDT approach has been compared with the school based programmes in certain African countries,but not with the health-facility based approach. The project will be implemented in Mazabuka district of Zambia where COMDT approach will be implemented in the catchment area of Rural Health Centres (RHC) as a supplement to the health-facility-based approach. After each round of treatmenttreatment coverage and factors responsible for the treatment coverage will be measured in both areas. The health impact of the health facility based approach with and without the COMDT approach will be compared. The effect of the COMDT as a control approach of STH infections will be monitored on infections in the community of children aged 12 to 59 months.
This study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Tuberculosis Research Centre in Chennai, India, will examine how helminth and filarial infections affect the immune response to mycobacteria (the bacteria that causes tuberculosis). Helminths are parasitic worms that infect the gut, and filaria are worms that circulate in the blood and infect various tissues. The findings of this study may affect how tuberculosis is assessed in Chennai, where filarial and helminth infections are common in the population. Patients between 6 and 65 years of age with helminth or filarial infections who do not have active tuberculosis, cancer, AIDS, or other immunosuppressive illness may be eligible for this study. Participants will be recruited from villages in the Chingleput District of Chennai, India. Participants will complete a medical history and physical examination. They will have a blood test to determine red blood cell count and to detect filarial infection, a stool examination to detect helminth infection, and a tuberculin skin test for tuberculosis. Patients with a positive tuberculin test will be treated for tuberculosis and any filarial or helminth infections that may have been detected. Patients whose tuberculin test is negative will be invited to participate in the second part of the study-to determine whether people with either filarial infections or helminth infections, or both, respond to tuberculosis bacteria in the same way as people who do not have these infections. Participants will undergo a review of their medical history, a physical examination, and a blood test to assess red blood cell levels and to look for evidence of filarial or helminth infection. They will then be randomly assigned to receive either albendazole and DEC (anti-helminth and anti-filarial drugs) or a placebo (look-alike tablets that do not contain an active ingredient). Two months later, patients will receive a second dose of the same tablets (placebo or active drug) they took previously, and after another 4 weeks they will be re-tested for tuberculosis. After 6 months (at the end of the study) all participants will receive anti-helminth and anti-filarial drugs and will have a repeat tuberculin skin test. Blood and stool samples will be collected twice in the 6-month period after the initial treatment to determine the levels of antibody against the parasites, to measure the level of infection with filaria, and to measure the level of red blood cells.
The objectives of this study is: - to establish the coverage rate of weekly iron supplementation in children in intervention schools over a period of nine months - document any side effects of weeekly iron supplementation among children in intervention schools over a period of nine months asses the feasibility of incorporating the weekly iron supplementation programme into the normal school activity in intervention schools determine the extent of acceptability and support for the iron supplementation programme by staff at the health centre nearest to the intervention schools - compare the praziquantel efficacy and schistosomiasis reinfection in children in intervention schools with that of children in control schools following the introduction of weekely iron supplementation over a period of nine months - determine the impact of weekly iron supplementation on haemoglobin levels of children in intervention schools and compare with children in control schools over a period of nine months
Identifying methods to slow disease progression in patients with HIV-1 infection remains a top priority in many regions of the world. In many countries, medications known to slow progression are not readily affordable or available. Many of the individuals living in these countries are also co-infected with a variety of other diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and soil-transmitted helminths. There are data to suggest that infection with these agents may activate the immune system in HIV-1 co-infected individuals and may lead to more rapid HIV disease progression. This study will evaluate the potential impact of treating helminths in HIV-1 seropositive individuals. Markers of disease progression and immune activation will be assessed. We will also measure the amount of virus in genital secretions to determine if treatment of co-infection can reduce the infectiousness of HIV in these individuals.
This study will compare the structure, chemical composition and other characteristics of skin and blood in people with and without parasitic infections. Cell samples will be taken from blisters produced by suction blistering. This study may provide new information about the interactions between parasites and the immune system that could lead to better treatments for these infections. Normal volunteers and patients with acute helminth (a type of parasite) infections aged 18 years older may be eligible for this study. Following a medical history and physical exam, participants will undergo suction blistering to provide cells needed for study. A suction blister device is attached to the skin of the thigh. A heating element in the device heats the skin to speed blister formation. (This will feel only a slightly warm.) The device is removed after about two hours, when the blisters have formed. The blister tops are removed with sterile scissors. The blistered areas are then treated with special dressings to promote healing and the participant is discharged with further wound care instructions. A small amount of blood (around four tablespoons) may be drawn to compare chemicals in the blood with chemicals in the blister fluid. Participants will be contacted by telephone over the next 72 hours to check on healing. Further follow-up will occur by phone at 6 months and 1 year. Up to 60 blisters may be produced over a one-year period (in three separate sessions every six months) with no more than 20 raised per session....
This study will investigate how, why and under what conditions eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) become activated and will examine their function in immune reactions. Eosinophil counts often rise in response to allergies, asthma, and parasitic worm infections. They can also go up in uncommon autoimmune conditions and, rarely, in association with tumors. Elevated levels of these cells is called eosinophilia. Usually, eosinophilia causes no apparent symptoms, but in rare cases there may be local swelling and itching, allergic lung problems, heart disease or nerve damage caused by the release of toxic substances in these cells into body tissues. Patients 1 to 100 years of age with eosinophil counts greater than 750/ml or an abnormal accumulation of eosinophils in the skin or body tissues may be eligible for this study. All participants will have a thorough medical history, physical examination and blood tests. Depending on the person's age and symptoms, other diagnostic tests may be done, including specialized studies of the eye, lungs, skin, bone marrow, nerves or heart. This is not a treatment study, and no experimental treatments will be offered. Patients who require treatment will receive standard medical care. Certain other procedures may be requested solely for research purposes. All participants will be asked to donate extra blood for laboratory studies investigating how immune cells and other immune substances in the blood act to stimulate a rise in eosinophils. In addition, some participants may undergo one or more of the following: - Annual Follow-up evaluations - Physical examinations and blood tests to evaluate changes in the patient's condition and eosinophil counts over time. - Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration will be recommended during the initial evaluation, and in certain patients at other times when it is important to look directly at the newly developing cells in the bone marrow. For this procedure an area of skin and bone is anesthetized with xylocaine (an anesthetic similar to that used by dentists), and a very sharp needle is used to sample the bone marrow for evaluation. Bone marrow biopsy and aspiration can have side effects of pain and/or bleeding into the skin and soft tissues at the site of the procedure. Rarely the area at the biopsy site can become infected, and is treated with antibiotics. - Genetic testing: Some of the blood drawn from you as part of this study will be used for genetic tests. Genetic tests can help researchers study how health or illness is passed on to you by your parents or from you to your children. Any genetic information collected or discovered about you or your family will be confidential. - Leukapheresis (only patients 18 years and older) to collect large numbers of certain cells - In this procedure, whole blood is collected through a needle placed in an arm vein. The blood circulates through a machine that separates it into its components. The white cells are then removed and the rest of the blood is returned to the body, either through the same needle used to draw the blood or through a second needle placed in the other arm.
This study will evaluate and treat patients with filarial infections to explore in depth the immunology of the disease, including susceptibility to infection, disease development, and response to treatment. Filarial infections are caused by parasitic worms. The immature worm (larva) is transmitted to a person through a mosquito bite and grows in the human body to 2 to 4 inches in length. Although many of these infections do not produce symptoms, especially in the early stages of infection, others can have serious consequences, including swelling of the limbs or genitalia, allergic-lung problems, skin rash, eye inflammation that can lead to blindness, and heart disease. This protocol does not involve any experimental diagnostic procedures or treatments, and will use only procedures employed in the standard practice of medicine. Persons between 3 and 100 years of age diagnosed with or suspected of infection with Wuchereria bancrofti, Bugia malayi, Onchocerca volvulus, Loa loa, or other parasitic worms may be eligible for this study. Participants will have routine tests to determine the specific type of filarial infection. These may include special tests of the lungs, skin or heart, depending on the type of parasite suspected. Patients with skin reactions may have a "punch biopsy" to examine a small piece of affected skin. For this procedure, an area of skin is numbed with an anesthetic and a small circular area, about 1/3-inch in diameter and 1/2-inch thick, is removed using a sharp cookie cutter-type instrument. Some patients may require bronchoalveolar lavage. For this procedure, the mouth and throat are numbed with lidocaine jelly and spray and, if needed, a sedative is given for comfort. A small plastic tube is placed in a vein to give medications. A pencil-thin tube is then passed through the nose or mouth into the lung airways to examine the airways. Salt water is injected through the bronchoscope into the air passage, acting as a rinse. A sample of the fluid is then withdrawn and examined for infection, inflammatory cells and inflammatory chemicals. (Bronchoalveolar lavage is done only if medically necessary and only on patients 21 years or older.) Once the diagnosis is established, standard treatment will be instituted with either diethylcarbamazine or ivermectin, depending on the type of infection. Additional procedures for research purposes include: - Extra blood draws to study immune cells and other immune substances. (This is the only research procedure that will be done in - More frequent and extensive follow-up evaluations than usual for routine care. They will include physical examination and blood studies. - Urine collections at specified periods, possibly including 24-hour collections. - Skin tests to examine the body s reaction to allergens-common environmental substances, such as cat dander or pollen-that cause an allergic reaction. The test is done in one of two ways: either the skin is lightly scratched and an allergen extract is placed over the just-broken skin, or a very fine needle is used to inject a small amount of allergen under the skin. In both methods, the site is monitored for swelling or hives in the next 48 hours. - Leukapheresis (only on patients 21 or older ) to collect quantities of white blood cells. Whole blood is collected through a needle in an arm vein, similar to donating blood. The blood circulates through a machine that separates it into its components, and the white cells are removed. The rest of the blood is returned to the body, either through the same needle or through another needle in the other arm.
This protocol offers diagnosis and standard medical treatment for various parasitic gastrointestinal infections. Gastrointestinal parasites are either worms (helminths) or one-celled animals called protozoans which live in the human intestines. Often, parasitic infections do not cause illness. In these cases, drug treatment is not indicated, because treatment can have adverse side effects. Patients will be examined for their immune responses, correlation between the number of parasites and disease, and other studies. Individuals with known or suspected parasitic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including amebiasis, giardiasis, hookworm, strongyloidiasis, trichuriasis, pinworm, tapeworm, trichinosis, clonorchis, opisthorchis, coccidiosis, paragonimiasis, and echinococcus may be eligible for this study. Patient evaluations may include blood and urine tests, stool examination, X-rays, ultrasound studies and, uncommonly, duodenal aspiration for examination of fluid from the duodenum (first part of the small intestine). Other tests may be required, depending on the parasite and disease. Direct examination of the tissues of the intestines may be required to rule out certain infections. Research procedures include collection of stool, blood and duodenal fluid when the diagnosis has been established and these procedures are not required for medical care. Patients with strongyloidiasis may also be given a diagnostic skin test similar to skin tests for tuberculosis and allergies. Research procedures on children will be limited to collection of stool, urine and blood. No more than 7 milliliters (1 1/2 teaspoons) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) body weight of blood will be collected in children over a 6-week period. In adults no more than 30 tablespoons of blood will be collected in a 6-week period. Parasites may fail to respond to treatment. In these cases, it may be necessary to grow the parasite in the laboratory in order to test treatments in the test tube. Patients who do not respond to standard medications and dosing may need different doses of drugs or drugs or combinations of drugs used in the United States for other medical problems. If these medications or doses are used, patients will be informed of their possible side effects.