Pilot Study to Determine the Feasibility of Fluconazole for Induction Treatment and Suppression of Relapse of Histoplasmosis in Patients With the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Summary

To evaluate the use of fluconazole as (1) induction therapy in histoplasmosis, (2) maintenance therapy to prevent relapse of histoplasmosis. Histoplasmosis is a serious opportunistic infection in patients with AIDS. Fluconazole is a triazole antifungal agent that has been used successfully in the treatment of experimental histoplasmosis in animals, but has not been completely evaluated in patients for this use. It has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for certain other fungal infections. Nevertheless, physicians are prescribing it to their patients with histoplasmosis. This is a pilot study to examine the role of fluconazole for treating histoplasmosis in AIDS patients.

Timeline

Start

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Primary completion

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Completion

1994-11

Publications

• Background Wheat J, Vanden Bossche H, Marichal P. Mechanism for resistance of Histoplasma capsulatum to fluconazole. Conf Retroviruses Opportunistic Infect. 1996 Jan 28-Feb 1;3rd:157
• Background Wheat J, MaWhinney S, Hafner R, McKinsey D, Chen D, Korzun A, Shakan KJ, Johnson P, Hamill R, Bamberger D, Pappas P, Stansell J, Koletar S, Squires K, Larsen RA, Cheung T, Hyslop N, Lai KK, Schneider D, Kauffman C, Saag M, Dismukes W, Powderly W. Treatment of histoplasmosis with fluconazole in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Clinical Trials Group and Mycoses Study Group. Am J Med. 1997 Sep;103(3):223-32. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9343(97)00151-4.

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