Short versus standard antifungal treatment for children with candidemia
Official title: Short Course Versus Standard Course Antifungal Therapy for Pediatric Candidemia: A Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial
Funded at Arkansas Children's Hospital Res Inst · NIH-11403745 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial tests whether children with bloodstream Candida infections who improve after one week of echinocandin therapy can safely stop after a total of 7 days instead of the usual 14 days.
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 start | August 5, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $28,350 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AI170385-04S3 |
| Project ID | NIH-11403745 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children with uncomplicated candidemia who started echinocandin therapy and show blood culture clearance and clinical improvement after the first 7 days are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Children with complicated or deep-seated Candida infections, persistent positive blood cultures, or severe immunosuppression may not be eligible and are unlikely to benefit from a shorter course.
What this research studies
If your child has candidemia and starts on an echinocandin antifungal, doctors will check blood cultures and clinical signs after the first week. Children who have cleared their blood and are improving may be randomly assigned to stop antifungals after one more week or continue to the standard 14-day course. The research team will follow participants for recurrence, complications, side effects, and hospital outcomes across multiple pediatric centers. The goal is to compare safety and recovery between the shorter and longer treatment schedules.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If the shorter course is safe, children could avoid extra antifungal exposure, fewer side effects, and shorter hospital stays.
How similar studies have gone: Echinocandin therapy has been shown to improve outcomes and shorter antibiotic courses have worked for bacterial infections, but this is the first randomized pediatric trial directly comparing 7 versus 14 days for fungal bloodstream infection.
Where this research is happening
-
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
Related research
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Shorter antifungal treatment for kids with candidemia
A multi-center pediatric trial tests whether a shorter, 7 extra days of antifungal therapy after an initial 7 days is just as good as the standard 14-day approach for kids with candidemia who are improving on echinocandin therapy.
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Short Course vs Standard Course Antifungal Therapy for Pediatric Candidemia
This study tests whether a shorter 7-day total antifungal treatment after an initial 7 days of echinocandin therapy is as effective as the usual 14-day course for children with candidemia.
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Shorter antifungal treatment for kids with candidemia
A multi-center study tests whether kids with candidemia can finish treatment earlier after an initial week of antifungal therapy than the standard two weeks total.
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Shorter antifungal treatment for kids with candidemia
This study tests whether children with candidemia can finish treatment after 7 days of an echinocandin if they are improving, instead of completing a full 14 days.
-
Shorter antifungal course for kids with candidemia
A multi-center study tests whether 7 extra days of antifungal therapy after an initial week of treatment can be shortened safely for children with candidemia.
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.