NCT02495909

Childhood Schistosomiasis: a Novel Strategy Extending the Benefits/Reach of Antihelminthic Treatment

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 700 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Edinburgh · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 3 Years – 5 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Objective and Hypotheses: This project has the overall objective of implementing and evaluating new approaches to reducing the current and future burden of urinary schistosomiasis in young children using the antihelminthic drug Praziquantel. The project aims to (1) determine the operational health benefits of treating schistosome infections early on re-infection and morbidity reduction, (2) determine if gut or urine microbiome structure (species diversity or abundance) is a risk factor for S. haematobium infection or morbidity, and (3) elucidate the factors and underlying mechanisms mediating the reduction/reversal of schistosome-related morbidity and resistance against infection/re-infection in young children.

Detailed description

This study aims to refine current paediatric treatment of schistosomiasis using the drug Praziquantel (PZQ) to improve the current and future health of pre-school children and infants. Praziquantel is cheap, highly efficacious and safe, presenting a realistic opportunity of using a pre-existing tool in a modified way to benefit child health and development. The study will focus on children aged 3 to 5 years of age, comparing the impact of early vs. later treatment with PZQ on the current and future health status of the children. By killing worms PZQ stops the morbidity related to the presence of worms and eggs such as anaemia, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and blood in the urine as well as induced immune responses associated with reduced re-infection rates. Therefore the study will investigate the immediate health benefits of treating pre-school children and infants and the effects of treatment on re-infection rates.

Conditions

• Schistosomiasis

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-02-01
• Primary completion: 2018-01-01
• Completion: 2018-02-27
• First posted: 2015-07-13
• Last updated: 2018-10-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Zimbabwe