Clinical Research Directory

Natural History of Individuals With Immune System Problems That Lead to Fungal Infections

Background: \- The immune system is made up of special cells, tissues, and organs that fight infections. Problems with this system may lead to frequent, severe, or unusual fungal infections. These infections are often difficult to treat. Researchers want to collect blood and tissue samples from people who have unusual, persistent or severe fungal infections or immune problems that increase the risk of these infections. Objectives: \- To collect medical information and samples for a long-term study of people with immune system problems that lead to fungal infections. Eligibility: * People with a history of fungal infections caused by immune system problems. * Parents, children, and siblings of this group. * Healthy volunteers not related to the first two groups. Design: * This long-term study may last for up to 25 years. Those in the study may need to provide new information about every 6 months. The procedures for each person may vary with the particular diagnosis and the extent of fungal infection. Healthy volunteers may have only one or two visits. * At the first visit, those in the study will have a full medical history and physical exam. They will also provide blood. * Research procedures may include the following: * Saliva, urine or stool testing * Mouthwash collection for DNA testing * Collection of cheek cells, nail clippings, or vaginal fluid * Tests of leftover tissue or body fluid from previous medical procedures * Skin or oral mucous membrane biopsy * Collection of white blood cells * Followup visits will involve a physical exam and updated medical history. Blood, saliva, urine, or nail clipping samples may be taken for ongoing studies. Any additional tests or exams required by the study doctors may also be done. * Participants may withdraw from the study pool at any time.

Olorofim Aspergillus Infection Study

The purpose of this study is to compare treatment with olorofim versus treatment with AmBisome® followed by standard of care (SOC) in patients with IFD caused by proven IA or probable lower respiratory tract disease Aspergillus species (invasive aspergillosis, IA).

Posaconazole Pharmacokinetics in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy or Stem Cell Transplants

The purpose of the study is to investigate the pharmacokinetics of oral dosage of Posaconazole which is routinely administered as a standard care prophylaxis for patients undergoing cancer treatments.

Treatment Duration of IPA

The goal of this observational study is to identify the duration of posaconazole-initiated antifungal treatment for IPA in patients with hematological malignancies and to explore the value of monitoring immune factors and cells in IPA treatment in order to assess practices in IPA management in Chinese hematology patients including tools to evaluate duration and discontinuation. The main question it aims to answer is: Does any indicators that could be used to guide the duration of IPA treatment? Does immune factors have value in monitoring IPA treatment? We will not do any interventions to participants. Participants will be monitored routinely for their clinical characteristics, microbiological test( including G/GM Test, Blood culture), Imaging examination, Blood routine, the number and function of immune cells, cytokines(IL-1β/IL-2/IL-4/IL-8/IL-10/IL-12/IL-17/IFN-α/IFN-γ/TNF-α)， and we will collect these datas for analysing.

Detection of Azole Resistance Inducing Mutations on DNA Extracted Directly From Serum or Plasma of Immunocompromised Patients With an Invasive Aspergillus Infection Azole Resistance PCR Optimalization-study

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is the most common mould infection in immunocompromised patients with haematological disease. Voriconazole, a triazole, improves overall survival of patients with an IA and is the mainstay of therapy. Resistance of A. Fumigatus emerged as an important clinical problem and infections with azole resistant Aspergillus have a high mortality. Nowhere in the world, azole resistance is more prevalent than in the Netherlands. Rapid detection of resistance is key to improve the patient's outcome but fungal cultures take time and are often negative. The investigators aim to detect azole resistance associated mutations in fungal DNA extracted directly from serum or plasma to accelerate diagnosis and improve outcome of patients infected with azole resistant A. fumigatus.

Role of Antifungal Prophylaxis in Elderly Patients With Acute Myeloid Leukemia During Consolidation Therapy

In previous retrospective study (SEIFEM 2016 study) the investigators evaluated the incidence of proven/probable invasive aspergillosis (IA) and the role of mold active primary antifungal prophylaxis (PAP) in a "real life" setting of acute myeloid leukemia (AML )patients receiving intensive consolidation therapy. All cases of proven/probable IA, observed during consolidation chemotherapy in adult and pediatric AML patients between 2011 and 2015, were retrospectively collected in a multicenter study involving 38 Italian hematologic centers. The investigators observed 56 (2.2%) cases of IA \[43 probable (1.7%) and 13 proven (0.5%)\]. The overall mortality rate and the mortality rate attributable to IA (AMR) on day 120 were 16% and 9%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, parameters that influenced the outcome were age ≥60 years and treatment with high doses of cytarabine (HDAC). The investigators also observed that centers involved in this survey had different antifungal policies during the AML consolidation phase. The results from this study show that in a large real-world setting the mold active PAP, with itraconazole or posaconazole, decreases the rate of IA after consolidation course. In SEIFEM 2016 study the investigators demonstrated that the incidence of IA during the AML consolidation is low. However, the mortality is not negligible, mainly in older patients. Further, a sub-analysis in the subset of patients older than 60 years demonstrated that patients who didn't receive mold active prophylaxis had higher incidence of IA than patients who received mold active prophylaxis (15% vs 6%). Therefore, as prophylaxis seems to prevent IA in consolidation, further studies should be performed especially in elderly patients treated with HDAC to confirm our data and to identify the subset of patients who require PAP.