Clinical Trial: Leprosy Skin Test Antigens Trial

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Two New Leprosy Skin Test Antigens: MLSA-LAM and MLCwA Phase II Study in a Leprosy-Endemic Region

Brief Summary: The purpose of this study is to see how healthy people and leprosy patients react to 2 new skin tests for detecting leprosy. The study will evaluate the new skin tests that may aid in measuring the number of people exposed to leprosy and enable its diagnosis and treatment at an earlier stage. Participant's ages 18-60 living in Kathmandu, Nepal will be enrolled. Stages A and B of the study will use the skin test in healthy volunteers. Stage C will use the skin test in high risk volunteers (including individuals with leprosy), healthy individuals in contact with leprosy patients and individuals with tuberculosis (TB, lung disease). Study procedures will include injections, physical exam, and blood testing. Injection sites will be checked several times during the participant's study involvement (5 hours of time spread over approximately 1 month). Volunteers screened for the study, which have leprosy or tuberculosis will be treated or referred for treatment.

Detailed Summary: This double-blind Phase II clinical trial will be conducted in 3 stages to evaluate 2 new leprosy skin test antigens, Mycobacterium (M.) leprae Soluble Antigen (MLSA)-Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) and M. leprae Cell Wall Antigen (MLCwA), as diagnostic-epidemiological tools designed to measure incidence of leprosy infection in Kathmandu, Nepal, a leprosy endemic area. Stage A will provide an initial indication of safety of the 2 new test antigens in 10 healthy members of the leprosy endemic population (5 subjects per antigen at 2 dosages each). Stage B will expand this analysis by an additional 90 healthy subjects (45 subjects per antigen). If any subjects in Stage A or B show ulcerations at the 1.0 mcg dose of MLSA-LAM or MLCwA test sites, then only the 0.1 mcg dose will be used for Stage C. The final stage, Stage C, is divided into 2 parts. The first part, Stage C-1, will assess safety of both antigens at the high dose (1.0 mcg) in populations at a higher risk of developing ulcerations at skin test sites. Eighty subjects will be recruited: 20 household contacts of Borderline Lepromatous Leprosy (BL) / Lepromatous Leprosy (LL) leprosy patients, 20 BL/LL leprosy patients, 20 Borderline Tuberculoid Leprosy (BT) / Tuberculoid Leprosy (TT) patients and 20 tuberculosis (TB) patients. The second part, Stage C-1b, is a continuation of Stage C-1 with the same number of subjects recruited from the same groups to assess the reactivity of both antigens at the low dose (0.1 mcg). This study will define a positive skin test reaction for MLSA-LAM and MLCwA, and this definition will be used in estimating sensitivity and specificity for each skin test antigen and dosage. It is expected that the BT/TT leprosy patients and healthy contacts of leprosy patients will have larger indurations at both M. leprae-derived antigen sites and a variable reaction at the tuberculin/Purified Protein Derivative (PPD) site. The non-contacts, BL/LL leprosy patients, and TB patients will have smaller indurat
Sponsor: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Current Primary Outcome:

  • Number of Participants With Reactions to the Antigen Mycobacterium (M.) Leprae Soluble Antigen (MLSA)-Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) at Doses of 0.1 Microgram [ Time Frame: Up to 28 Days ]
    Participants returned to the clinic at Days 2 (Group A), 3 (all groups) and 7 (Groups B and C), and at Day 28 if reactions were still present (all groups), for reader measurements of erythema and induration and assessment of other adverse events of pain/tenderness, bleeding, urticaria, infection, or blistering/ulcerating. Participants are counted if they had any measurable erythema or induration, or reported any of the other listed adverse events. Reactions were reported as present or absent, and were not graded for severity.
  • Number of Participants With the Reaction of Itching to the Antigen Mycobacterium (M.) Leprae Soluble Antigen (MLSA)-Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) at Doses of 0.1 Microgram [ Time Frame: Up to 28 Days ]
    Itching was assessed for participants in Groups B and C only, who returned to the clinic at Days 3 and 7, and at Day 28 if reactions were still present. Itching was reported as present or absent, and not graded for severity.
  • Number of Participants With Reactions to the Antigen Mycobacterium (M.) Leprae Soluble Antigen (MLSA)-Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) at Doses of 1.0 Microgram [ Time Frame: Up to 28 Days ]
    Participants returned to the clinic at Days 2 (Group A), 3 (all groups) and 7 (Groups B and C), and at Day 28 if reactions were still present (all groups), for reader measurements of erythema and induration and assessment of other adverse events of pain/tenderness, bleeding, urticaria, infection, or blistering/ulcerating. Participants

    Original Primary Outcome:

    Current Secondary Outcome:

    Original Secondary Outcome:

    Information By: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

    Dates:
    Date Received: August 5, 2005
    Date Started: April 2002
    Date Completion:
    Last Updated: December 4, 2014
    Last Verified: August 2010