Short versus standard antifungal treatment for children with Candida bloodstream infections
Short Course Versus Standard Course Antifungal Therapy for Pediatric Candidemia: A Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial
This trial compares a shorter antifungal course to the usual 14-day course for children with Candida in the blood who improve after the first week of echinocandin treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Arkansas Children's Hospital Res Inst NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Little Rock, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11403748 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child has Candida in the blood and gets better after seven days of echinocandin therapy with cleared blood cultures, doctors would randomly assign them to stop treatment sooner or continue to the standard 14 days. The trial is being run at multiple pediatric centers and follows children after treatment to watch for recurrence, complications, or side effects. Study staff will collect clinical data and monitor outcomes to see whether the shorter approach is as safe and effective as the longer course. Participation would include regular check-ins and follow-up visits to make sure the infection does not return.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children with uncomplicated candidemia who were initially treated with an echinocandin and show clinical improvement with cleared blood cultures after seven days are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Children with persistent positive blood cultures, deep-seated Candida infections, or other complications (for example endocarditis or central nervous system involvement) are not likely to benefit from a shorter course and would be excluded.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could safely shorten antifungal treatment time, lowering side effects, hospital stays, and costs for children.
How similar studies have performed: Adult randomized trials and pediatric observational data support echinocandin initial therapy and many antibacterial trials show shorter courses can work, but there have been no prior randomized trials comparing short versus standard durations for invasive fungal infections.
Where this research is happening
Little Rock, United States
- Arkansas Children's Hospital Res Inst — Little Rock, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Steinbach, William J — Arkansas Children's Hospital Res Inst
- Study coordinator: Steinbach, William J
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.