Vulvovaginal Candidiasis in Canadian Females (THRIVE-yeast)

April 29, 2026 updated by: Aleeza Gerstein, University of Manitoba

Prospective Studies of Vaginal Yeast and Microbiome Related to Vulvovaginal Candidiasis in Canadian Females

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC; colloquially referred to as a 'yeast infection') is a prevalent mucosal infection caused by Candida spp. that affects ~75% of women at least once in their life. VVC usually responds well to treatment, yet a small but significant fraction of women experience recurrent yeast infections even with weekly treatment. A further complication in understanding the causes of recurrent infections is that approximately one in five females have vaginal yeast present without any symptoms at any given point. The link between fungi, other microbes in the vagina ("microbiome"), and the human immune system remain poorly understood in the switch from having yeast present in the vagina without any symptoms and symptomatic yeast infections. Fungi also compose a normal component of the microbiome at other sites in the body (e.g., oral, skin, gastrointestinal tract, rectum) where they may serve as a source of re-infection following treatment.

In addition to the commonly prescribed 'first choice' antifungal drug fluconazole, a second-line treatment, boric acid, has shown promise in the literature and has been used locally with success at increasing the time between recurrent infections. A drawback of this therapy, however, is cost, as it is a compounded medication, and patients have to pay out of pocket. The purpose of this study is to understand how the yeast and bacterial microbial communities differ for females with recurrent infections from females with their first yeast infection and females with vaginal yeast present without any symptoms, and to track yeast diversity following treatment with either boric acid or fluconazole. The investigators hypothesize that they will identify multiple subpopulations of yeast at multiple anatomical body sites in females with VVC and recurrent VVC. They anticipate finding evidence for recurrent infection from secondary sites by linking genomic diversity of vaginal yeast strains during symptomatic infection to strains from other body sites. They hypothesize that yeast isolated from females with recurrent infections will exhibit different drug response phenotypes than yeast from females with asymptomatic vaginal yeast. They hypothesize that the vaginal microbiome of post-treatment patients treated with boric acid will differ from that of fluconazole. Combined, they hypothesize that post-treatment response will differ between the drugs, indicating that treatment specifics influence the vaginal environment.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
120

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

  • Name: Vanessa HSC Women's Health Research Program, MD
  • Phone Number: 204-975-7723

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Manitoba
      • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3A 1R9
        • Health Science Centre (HSC)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 50 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Female
  • Between ages of 18 and 50 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Currently pregnant
  • Trying to get pregnant
  • Have had a hysterectomy
  • BV infection

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Recurrent Infection Cohort - symptomatic
Participants with a history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis infections who have an active symptomatic infection when they come to clinic
Drug: Boric Acid Supp,Vag
Treatment will be offered to participants if clinical exam and clinical samples are consistent with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). Women that have had a prior documented VVC infection that has recurred on fluconazole will be treated with boric acid, 600 mg intravaginally at bedtime for 7 days.
Drug: Fluconazole 150 mg
Treatment will be offered to participants if clinical exam and clinical samples are consistent with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). Females presenting with a suspected first-time yeast infection will be treated with fluconazole 150 mg orally.
No Intervention: Asymptomatic Cohort
Participants with no history of vulvovaginal candidiasis
No Intervention: Recurrent Infection Cohort - asymptomatic
Participants with a history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis infections who do not have an active symptomatic infection when they come to clinic
Active Comparator: Suspected first VVC infection
Suspected first VVC infection. Intervention as per standard of care.
Drug: Fluconazole 150 mg
Treatment will be offered to participants if clinical exam and clinical samples are consistent with vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). Females presenting with a suspected first-time yeast infection will be treated with fluconazole 150 mg orally.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Fungal Diversity
Time Frame: One month

Use culture-based methods, flow cytometry, and genome sequencing to:

  • Test how genotypic diversity, genetic relatedness, and drug resistance and tolerance changes in the fungal population from the assumed first-time infection cohort and recurrent infection cohort participants before and after treatment with either fluconazole or boric acid.
  • How the vaginal fungal population diversity differs between symptomatic and asymptomatic participants.
  • Test how the vaginal fungal isolates in participants with VVC are related to rectal, oral, and skin fungal isolates.
One month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Bacterial Diversity
Time Frame: One month
Using 16S-rRNA sequencing and meta-proteomic to characterize the bacterial diversity changes pre-and post- drug treatment for VVC.
One month
Host Functional Changes
Time Frame: One month
Host proteome of the vaginal samples will be assessed using proteomics to determine any underlying inflammatory or barrier pathways that associate with treatment of VVC.
One month
Phage and mycovirus diversity
Time Frame: 1 month
Using WGS sequencing to characterize the phage and mycovirus diversity pre-and post- drug treatment for VVC and among different trial arms.
1 month

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Manitoba

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Manitoba Medical Service Foundation
Research Manitoba

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Aleeza Gerstein, PhD, University of Manitoba

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 7, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 30, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 30, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 10, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 10, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 18, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • B2021:026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified proteomics and microbiome data collected will be placed into a freely available data repository after peer review of publications via Genbank. The proteomic expression data shall be made available by depositing the raw, untransformed and normalized counts on our servers. Whole genome sequencing data will be made available on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) short reads archive. Any other functional data shall be made available with the journal publications in the text, or as supplementary material at the publisher's online website, or in data repositories (e.g., Dryad, https://datadryad.org).

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Following publication in peer-reviewed journal articles, data available indefinitely.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Following publication, external collaborators wishing to make use of THRIVE-yeast data must first contact the PI and submit a written proposal to request access to de-identified data. The PI will consult with University of Manitoba Office of Research Services to create a Data Sharing Transfer Agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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