Shorter 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 compares a shorter 7-day versus the usual 14-day antifungal treatment for children whose Candida blood infections have cleared after initial therapy.
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-11403744 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be cared for at a children's hospital participating in a multicenter trial where all patients start with echinocandin antifungal medicine. If your child's blood cultures clear and they are getting better after 7 days, the team will randomly assign them to stop treatment after 7 days total or continue to the usual 14-day course. Doctors will follow your child closely with clinic checks and tests to watch for relapse, side effects, and overall recovery. The trial aims to see whether stopping earlier is as safe and effective as continuing treatment.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children (typically pediatric age groups) with uncomplicated candidemia who have received at least 7 days of echinocandin therapy and have cleared blood cultures with clinical improvement would be the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Children with deep-seated Candida infections, persistent positive blood cultures, severe immunosuppression, or who have not improved after initial therapy are unlikely to benefit from a shortened course.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, children could have shorter courses of antifungal medicine, with fewer side effects, less time on IV drugs, and lower treatment burden.
How similar studies have performed: Echinocandin therapy has been shown to improve outcomes as initial treatment and shorter antibiotic courses have worked for many bacterial infections, but there have been no randomized trials testing shorter versus standard duration for invasive fungal disease in children.
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.