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Pulmonary CandidiasisNCT00786903

Candida Spp. in the Lower Respiratory Tract: Harmless Residents or Pathogen?

An observational study of Pulmonary Candidiasis and Invasive Candidiasis, run by Robert Krause, MD at 1 site in Austria.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

In critically ill patients Candida spp. are frequently isolated from respiratory tract secretions such as endotracheal aspirates and bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) and are most often considered as colonizers of the respiratory tract. In contrast, pneumonia due to infection with Candida spp. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Pulmonary Candidiasis, Invasive Candidiasis
How many people
202 participants
Where
1 siteAustria
Study dates
Nov 2008to Apr 2015
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: adult patients with and without infiltration of the lungs and with and without intubation and mechanically ventilation

Who may be able to join

  • depending on study group; i.e. no pathology of the lungs in group 1, and 4; underlying disease of the lungs in group 2 (i.e. sarcoidosis etc), infiltration of the lungs in group 3,4,5

Who cannot join

  • depending on study group: i.e. HIV, recent antifungal therapy, age below 18

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Austria1 site
  • Medical University of Graz

    Graz, Styria, 8043

Other trials in Austria

About this study

In critically ill patients Candida spp. are frequently isolated from respiratory tract secretions such as endotracheal aspirates and bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) and are most often considered as colonizers of the respiratory tract. In contrast, pneumonia due to infection with Candida spp. is rare and is diagnosed by histological demonstration of the yeast in lung tissue with associated inflammation. In spite of this, preemptive antifungal therapy based on isolation of Candida spp. from the respiratory tract is often initiated in critically ill patients. The disadvantages of this approach include increased selective pressure for the development of antimicrobial resistance, potential risks of adverse drug reactions and high treatment costs. On the other hand, immediate administration of appropriate antifungal therapy has been shown to be an important predictor of favorable outcome for patients with invasive fungal infections. Therefore, the development of reliable diagnostic measures for the detection of invasive pulmonary candidiasis is crucial. The overall objective of the proposed research project is to identify diagnostic strategies to differentiate between Candida colonization and Candida infection of the lower respiratory tract in critically ill patients. The proposed projects intends to test the hypothesis that 1.) invasive Candida strains from the lower respiratory tract differ from colonizing Candida strains with regard to production and expression of putative virulence factors and/or that 2.) patients suffering from pulmonary invasive candidiasis differ from patients colonized by Candida spp. with regard to inflammatory markers, other serum markers (fungal antigen) and composition of indigenous pulmonary bacterial flora.

Read the detailed description

In critically ill patients Candida spp. are frequently isolated from respiratory tract secretions such as endotracheal aspirates and bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) and are most often considered as colonizers of the respiratory tract. In contrast, pneumonia due to infection with Candida spp. is rare and is diagnosed by histological demonstration of the yeast in lung tissue with associated inflammation. In spite of this, preemptive antifungal therapy based on isolation of Candida spp. from the respiratory tract is often initiated in critically ill patients. The disadvantages of this approach include increased selective pressure for the development of antimicrobial resistance, potential risks of adverse drug reactions and high treatment costs. On the other hand, immediate administration of appropriate antifungal therapy has been shown to be an important predictor of favorable outcome for patients with invasive fungal infections. Therefore, the development of reliable diagnostic measures for the detection of invasive pulmonary candidiasis is crucial. The overall objective of the proposed research project is to identify diagnostic strategies to differentiate between Candida colonization and Candida infection of the lower respiratory tract in critically ill patients. The proposed projects intends to test the hypothesis that 1.) invasive Candida strains from the lower respiratory tract differ from colonizing Candida strains with regard to production and expression of putative virulence factors and/or that 2.) patients suffering from pulmonary invasive candidiasis differ from patients colonized by Candida spp. with regard to inflammatory markers, other serum markers (fungal antigen) and composition of indigenous pulmonary bacterial flora. For this purpose, pathogen related factors such as Candida prevalence, Candida quantity, phospholipases, secreted aspartyl proteinases, chromosome length polymorphism, transcriptional profiles, DFG16, SAP1-3, and SAP5 mRNA as well as human cellular and serum markers such as Dectin-1, TLR-2, TLR-4, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-10, IL-12, procalcitonin and (1→3) ß-D-Glucan, the indigenous pulmonary bacterial flora and underlying risk factors will be investigated in 6 different patient groups in this project. The results of this study should contribute to a better understanding of Candida colonization and Candida infections in the lower respiratory tract in critically ill patients. This should prospectively lead to a more targeted antifungal therapy and to a better outcome as well as to a reduction of unnecessary antifungal treatments and to a reduction of treatment costs in the future.

Medical subject headings
Candidiasis, Invasive

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. pathogenic relevance of Candida in lower respiratory tract

    Measured: 3 years

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted6 Nov 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startNov 2008
  3. Primary completionApr 2015
  4. Study completionApr 2015

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
202 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00786903
Sponsor's protocol ID
19-322 ex 07/08
Status last verified
Apr 2015
First submitted
5 Nov 2008
Last updated
3 Apr 2015
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Krause R, Zollner-Schwetz I, Salzer HJ, Valentin T, Rabensteiner J, Pruller F, Raggam R, Meinitzer A, Prattes J, Rinner B, Strohmaier H, Quehenberger F, Strunk D, Heidrich K, Buzina W, Hoenigl M. Elevated levels of interleukin 17A and kynurenine in candidemic patients, compared with levels in noncandidemic patients in the intensive care unit and those in healthy controls. J Infect Dis. 2015 Feb 1;211(3):445-51. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiu468. Epub 2014 Aug 22.

    PubMed 25149761
  • Pruller F, Wagner J, Raggam RB, Hoenigl M, Kessler HH, Truschnig-Wilders M, Krause R. Automation of serum (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan testing allows reliable and rapid discrimination of patients with and without candidemia. Med Mycol. 2014 Jul;52(5):455-61. doi: 10.1093/mmy/myu023. Epub 2014 Jun 6.

    PubMed 24906361

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Pulmonary Candidiasis and Invasive Candidiasis, run by Robert Krause, MD at 1 site in Austria.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Apr 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Austria. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

pathogenic relevance of Candida in lower respiratory tract (time frame: 3 years). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00786903, which also lists 2 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Apr 2015.

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