View clinical trials related to Plague.
Filter by:Plague is a deadly but highly treatable disease caused by the bacterium Y. pestis. Due to the historical development of Y. pestis as a bioweapon by several nation states, it is listed by the US as a potential bioweapon that could be used against US warfighters. Although this bacterium is ecologically established worldwide, it mostly affects impoverished people who live in rural low-resource areas of Madagascar. Plague is acquired directly from bites of infected fleas but, if left untreated, it can progress to the highly lethal pneumonic form that can result in human to human transmission. With the dangers of pneumonic plague in the context of both natural outbreak and as a bioweapon used against warfighter, the goal of this study is to investigate a diagnostic test that is able to rapidly and locally diagnose this disease in low-resource settings. This study aims to evaluate a US-developed new LFI (Lateral Flow Immunoassay) assay intended for capillary blood (finger-prick) to diagnose humans infected with Y. pestis. The investigators will rigorously validate with assay on human populations from active plague sites and correlate the results with the results of paired clinical samples used in standard medical workup using existing diagnostics tests.
Plague is a deadly but highly treatable disease caused by the bacterium Y. pestis. Due to the historical development of Y. pestis as a bioweapon by several nation states, it is listed by the US as a potential bioweapon that could be used against US warfighters. Although this bacterium is ecologically established worldwide, it mostly affects impoverished people who live in rural low-resource areas of Madagascar. Plague is acquired directly from bites of infected fleas but, if left untreated, it can progress to the highly lethal pneumonic form that can result in human to human transmission. With the dangers of pneumonic plague in the context of both natural outbreak and as a bioweapon used against warfighter, the goal of this study is to investigate a diagnostic test that is able to rapidly and locally diagnose this disease in low-resource settings. This study aims to evaluate a US-developed new LFI assay intended for capillary blood (finger-prick) to diagnose humans infected with Y. pestis. The investigators will rigorously validate with assay on human populations from active plague sites and correlate the results with the results of paired clinical samples used in standard medical workup using existing diagnostics tests.
The primary objective of this trial is to test the hypothesis that ciprofloxacin monotherapy given (orally, intravenously, or combination) for 10 days is non-inferior to an aminoglycoside (given on days 1-3) followed by ciprofloxacin (given on days 4-10) in the treatment of bubonic plague. Secondary objectives are: - to evaluate the level and kinetics of anti-Y. pestis antibodies of patients (bubonic and pneumonic plague) included in the study (anti-F1 ELISA techniques) at D1, D11, D21, M3 for patients who are positive at D21, and M12 for patients who are positive at M3. The tertiary objectives are: - to evaluate the level and kinetics of the levels of anti-Y. pestis antibodies and circulating F1 antigen of the patients (bubonic and pneumonic plague) included in the study (Luminex MagPix techniques with a Multiplex containing anti-F1 and rLcrV antigens and an F1 antigen capture multiplex) at D1, D11, D21, M3 for patients positive at D21, and M12 for patients who are positive at M3. Observational non-comparative study of pneumonic plague - The primary objective is to document the efficacy and safety of the currently recommended combination therapy treatment of pneumonic plague - an aminoglycoside (streptomycin or gentamicin) and ciprofloxacin combination therapy. - The secondary and tertiary objectives of the bubonic plague trial also apply to the pneumonic plague cohort.
Plague is a severe, life-threatening disease. Plague occurs in focal locations worldwide, but over 95% of human cases reported to WHO are by countries in Africa. The most common clinical manifestations of human infection are bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plague. Untreated pneumonic or septicemic plague is fatal in over 90% of cases; untreated bubonic plague is fatal in over 50% of cases. Delayed and ineffectual treatment is a main contributor to elevated case fatality rates, which can be as high as 40%, and to the development of pneumonic plague and plague outbreaks. Streptomycin is considered the treatment of choice, and prompt administration can reduce mortality to 5% or less. However, streptomycin may cause irreversible hearing loss and vestibular damage, reversible renal damage, and it is contraindicated during pregnancy. Tetracyclines, including doxycycline, are considered effective alternatives but they are bacteriostatic and relatively contraindicated for use in children aged < 8 years and pregnant women. Ciprofloxacin is a relatively newer antimicrobial that is used extensively in clinical practice because of its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, excellent tissue and intracellular penetration, suitability for oral administration, and good overall tolerability. In vitro and animal studies suggest equivalent or greater activity of ciprofloxacin against Yersinia pestis when compared with streptomycin or tetracyclines. However, the efficacy of ciprofloxacin for the treatment of human plague has never been demonstrated, nor is it FDA approved for this indication. Since 2004, CDC has collaborated with the Uganda Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) to enhance surveillance, diagnosis, and ecological control of plague in Arua and Nebbi Districts. Through these efforts, we have collected data on over 2,400 cases of clinically diagnosed plague occurring from 1999 through 2009. In 2008, UVRI and CDC staff investigated 163 suspect plague cases: 57 (35%) had laboratory-confirmed plague illness, of which 14 patients (25%) died. Because plague is a relatively rare disease that mainly affects people living in rural, impoverished areas, it receives limited attention for research and development of affordable and sustainable diagnostic and treatment options. However, because plague cannot be eradicated, and because it causes high case fatality and has the potential for widespread person to person transmission, continued research should not be neglected. The objective of this clinical trial is to conduct a randomized, open-labeled, non-inferiority study comparing the safety and efficacy of ciprofloxacin to doxycycline, the national treatment standard in Uganda for plague, in patients aged > 8 years. The primary outcome for this trial will be patient outcome 14 days from enrollment and initiation of treatment. Patient outcome will be evaluated only for those patients with laboratory-confirmed plague illness. Information gathered from this proposed study will help optimize management of naturally occurring plague in humans in many countries of the world, including Uganda and the United States, by providing clinicians with more choices for optimal antimicrobial treatment. This is particularly true in resource limited rural regions such as Uganda where intravenous or intramuscular injections are less available. Ciprofloxacin currently is being used in Uganda and other plague endemic areas of the world for treatment of other infectious conditions, including infectious diarrhea and lower respiratory infections. In Uganda, ciprofloxacin is widely available in health facilities and local drug shops, and is affordable.