Clinical Research Directory

The Surveillance Clinical Study of Rickettsiosis

The purpose of this surveillance (non-interventional) clinical study is to genotype the causative agents of rickettsioses in biological samples of patients from the regions of Russia. This is a solely observational study in the patients with diagnosed or suspected tick-borne rickettsioses, with no intervention to the routine treatment and diagnostic process. During the study the medical history, diseases progress and symptoms, as well as treatments are being registered in individual case report forms. The rests of the samples used for standard diagnostics (blood, plasma, buffy coat, or serum, and/or swab of the eschar) are being collected and afterwards analyzed for rickettsial genotypes. These data are being compared to the medical history and symptoms of the patients in order to identify clinical patterns specific for causative agents of rickettsioses. Informed consent from all patients or their legal representatives are being collecting. The study was approved by the ethical committee.

Serological Measurement of Montpellier Professionals' Contacts with Infectious Agents Responsible for Animal-borne Diseases

Zoonoses and arboviroses refer to a group of diseases transmitted from animals to humans, either directly or indirectly (via mosquitoes, ticks or contact with contaminated environments). Most of these diseases are found in certain tropical zones, but global warming and increased international trade are modifying their geographical distribution, with a gradual trend towards temperate regions. A number of these pathogens have already been detected in Occitania, including dengue fever, West Nile, leishmaniasis and Q fever. Given the region's high mosquito population and favorable climatic conditions, other zoonoses have a strong potential to appear in the region, or may already be circulating at a low level. The study focuses on 18 pathogens selected for their potential to emerge and establish themselves in the Occitanie region: Leishmaniasis, Leptospirosis, Brucellosis, Q fever, Rickettsiosis, Tularemia, Psittacosis, Lyme disease, Tick-borne encephalitis, Hantavirus, Hepatitis E virus, Dengue virus, Zika virus, Chikungunya virus, West-Nile virus, Usutu virus, Toscana virus, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus. The aim of the study is to find out whether patients have antibodies against these infectious agents, which would indicate that they have been exposed to them in the past, even in the absence of symptoms. Describing the circulation of these pathogens will enable to implement appropriate public health measures to avoid the risk of epidemics (mosquito control, informing professionals, etc.), as well as to assess the risk incurred in the workplace and have this risk recognized by the healthcare system.