Rickettsia Clearance Study

Launched by LAO-OXFORD-MAHOSOT HOSPITAL WELLCOME TRUST RESEARCH UNIT · Jul 31, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The Rickettsia Clearance Study is a clinical trial aimed at understanding how well certain antibiotics work for treating infections caused by rickettsial bacteria, specifically murine typhus and scrub typhus. These diseases can be serious and are often hard to diagnose. The study is looking for adult participants who test positive for either murine typhus or scrub typhus, can take oral medications, and are willing to stay in the hospital for at least 36 hours. It's important that participants are not pregnant or breastfeeding, and they shouldn't have had recent treatments with certain antibiotics before joining the trial.

If you participate in this study, you will receive treatment and be closely monitored by healthcare professionals. The goal is to learn more about the effectiveness of different antibiotics and to find better ways to manage these infections. This research could help improve treatment options for many people suffering from these diseases in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age above or equal 18 years
• • Able to take oral medication
• • Rapid test positive for murine typhus or scrub typhus
• • Agrees to stay in hospital for at least 36 hours and to attend for scheduled follow up visits
• • Written informed consent to participate in the study
• • A negative urinary pregnancy test for all women of child-bearing age
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Pregnancy or breast feeding
• • Previous allergic reaction to doxycycline or azithromycin
• • Received more than one dose of chloramphenicol, doxycycline, tetracycline, fluoroquinolones, rifampicin or azithromycin during this hospital admission or more than one dose of any of these drugs in the week before admission
• • Contraindication to doxycycline: severe hepatic impairment, known SLE
• • Contraindication to azithromycin: sever hepatic impairment
• * Severe typhus defined as the presence of one or more of the following:
• • 1. Reduced level of consciousness
• • 2. Clinical jaundice
• • 3. Shock (BP systolic \<80 mmHg)
• • 4. Unable to take oral medication
• • 5. Radiological evidence of pneumonia
• • 6. Clinical evidence for meningitis/encephalitis or the need of LP
• • 7. Alternative diagnosis confirmed that explains the presenting symptoms
• • 8. Any other syndrome which in the opinion of the admitting doctor constitutes severe typhus (reason must be stated)