Characterizing Diversity and Antifungal Resistance in Immunocompromised ICU Patients With Respiratory Tract Infections

NCT ID: NCT06387667

Last Updated: 2025-08-14

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

250 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-12-01

Study Completion Date

2027-06-01

Brief Summary

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Immunocompromised individuals face a heightened risk of life-threatening fungal infections, which arise from a multitude of environmental and commensal fungi. Surveillance data from ICUs worldwide identifies Candida spp. as the dominant foe, responsible for 80% of such infections, earning it the dubious distinction of being the third most prevalent pathogen. While C. albicans holds the dubious crown as the most common Candida offender, recent years have witnessed a concerning trend toward non-Albicans candida, raising concerns about potential antifungal resistance.

Detailed Description

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For critically ill patients in the ICU, the threat of invasive fungal infections is a hidden danger, particularly in the presence of any of the following opportunistic factors:

(A) Pre-existing lung disease: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) , Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or Sarcoidosis.

(B) Patient comorbidities:

1. Immunosuppression: Neutropenia, Corticosteroid therapy, Immunosuppressive medication for inflammatory or autoimmune diseases; T-cell suppressants: Antithymocyte globulin (ATG), Calcineurin inhibitors (e.g., tacrolimus, cyclosporine) or B-cell suppressants: Rituximab, Severe sepsis (immune paralysis): Inherited severe immunodeficiency: Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), and Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) or Acquired immunodeficiency due to HIV/AIDS.
2. Underlying medical conditions: Liver failure, Diabetes mellitus, or cardiovascular disease.
3. Viral Pneumonia: Influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
4. Hematological and solid malignancies.
5. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
6. Prior fungal exposure: Aspergillus colonization before or during ICU admission .

(C) Environmental factors: Construction work, Geo-climatic factors, Tobacco or cannabis use, Air, food, or spice contamination, Gardening activity or occupation.

For diagnosing an invasive fungal infection (IFI), symptoms are unspecific; fever, cough, or chest pain and often missed in patients on corticosteroids, the host criteria including the presence of high-risk factors like neutropenia, malignancies, or immunosuppression, the clinical criteria; specific imaging findings on chest X-ray, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) or bronchoscopy indicating pulmonary involvement then finally mycological Criteria: Positive fungal detection in samples (culture, polymerase chain reaction 'PCR', GM).

In Non-Hematological Patients, diagnosis often delayed due to atypical symptoms and imaging, potentially leading to airway invasion vs. angioinvasion, differing clinical presentation and tests. Also, Lower GM yield compared to hematological patients. Crucially, this delayed diagnosis contributes to the higher mortality in non-hematological patients. This underscores the urgent need to establish improved diagnostic capabilities for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis using mycological tests in non-hematological individuals.

By closely monitoring the prevalence and drug susceptibility patterns of fungal pathogens, leads to acquiring crucial insights into their dynamics and refine the therapeutic approaches accordingly. This data empowers clinicians to make informed decisions regarding antifungal therapy, minimizing unnecessary drug exposure and preserving the effectiveness of the antifungal weapons.

Based on the need for more specific studies on diagnosis, prophylaxis, and therapy of critically ill, non-neutropenic, patients, and the significant threats of fungal infections to immunocompromised patients, particularly in ICU settings, understanding the diversity and antifungal resistance of these infections is crucial for optimizing treatment strategies and improving patient outcomes. This study will provide valuable insights into the epidemiology and antifungal resistance of fungal infections in immunocompromised ICU patients, informing the development of more effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Conditions

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Immunocompromised ICU Patients With Respiratory Tract Infections

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Immunocompromised ICU Patients with Respiratory tract infections
Primary Study Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Immunocompromised ICU patients

Immunocompromised ICU Patients with Respiratory tract infections

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Complete blood count

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

blood sample

C-reactive protein, urea, creatinine, Random blood glucose (RBG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT)

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

serum sample

CT chest

Intervention Type RADIATION

Computed tomography of the chest

Microscopic examination

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)

culture and sensitivity

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

for bacterial and fungal

Interventions

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Complete blood count

blood sample

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

C-reactive protein, urea, creatinine, Random blood glucose (RBG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT)

serum sample

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

CT chest

Computed tomography of the chest

Intervention Type RADIATION

Microscopic examination

sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

culture and sensitivity

for bacterial and fungal

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* All adult patients (aged \>18 years old) admitted to the Assiut University Hospital's intensive care units with pneumonia and hospitalized patients who developed hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated pneumonia who don't respond to antibiotics for 48 hours or with a CT finding suspected for fungal pneumonia.

Patients included must have at least one of the following conditions as a contributor to immunocompromise:

* Pre-existing lung disease: IPF, COPD, or sarcoidosis.
* Immunosuppression: Neutropenia, on corticosteroids, or immunosuppressive drugs, inherited or acquired immunodeficiency.
* Underlying comorbidities: (Diabetes Mellitus,Chronic kidney disease, Liver cirrhosis)
* Malignancy (Hematological or solid)

Exclusion Criteria

* Patients refused to contribute to the study.
* Unsatisfactory sample.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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New Valley University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Asmaa Nady Hussein

Lecturer of Internal Medicine

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Central Contacts

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Asmaa N Hussein, MD

Role: CONTACT

+2 01065161752

References

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Sprute R, Nacov JA, Neofytos D, Oliverio M, Prattes J, Reinhold I, Cornely OA, Stemler J. Antifungal prophylaxis and pre-emptive therapy: When and how? Mol Aspects Med. 2023 Aug;92:101190. doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2023.101190. Epub 2023 May 17.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37207579 (View on PubMed)

Kett DH, Azoulay E, Echeverria PM, Vincent JL; Extended Prevalence of Infection in ICU Study (EPIC II) Group of Investigators. Candida bloodstream infections in intensive care units: analysis of the extended prevalence of infection in intensive care unit study. Crit Care Med. 2011 Apr;39(4):665-70. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0b013e318206c1ca.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21169817 (View on PubMed)

Bassetti M, Garnacho-Montero J, Calandra T, Kullberg B, Dimopoulos G, Azoulay E, Chakrabarti A, Kett D, Leon C, Ostrosky-Zeichner L, Sanguinetti M, Timsit JF, Richardson MD, Shorr A, Cornely OA. Intensive care medicine research agenda on invasive fungal infection in critically ill patients. Intensive Care Med. 2017 Sep;43(9):1225-1238. doi: 10.1007/s00134-017-4731-2. Epub 2017 Mar 2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28255613 (View on PubMed)

Meersseman W, Lagrou K, Maertens J, Van Wijngaerden E. Invasive aspergillosis in the intensive care unit. Clin Infect Dis. 2007 Jul 15;45(2):205-16. doi: 10.1086/518852. Epub 2007 Jun 13.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17578780 (View on PubMed)

Hage CA, Carmona EM, Evans SE, Limper AH, Ruminjo J, Thomson CC. Summary for Clinicians: Microbiological Laboratory Testing in the Diagnosis of Fungal Infections in Pulmonary and Critical Care Practice. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2019 Dec;16(12):1473-1477. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201908-582CME. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31526275 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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FIRTI

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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