Recurrent Visceral Leishmaniasis in HIV Co-Infection (ALIVE)

March 17, 2026 updated by: Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium

New And Recurrent Visceral Leishmaniasis in HIV Co-Infected Ethiopian Patients: a Cohort Study

The aim is (1) to better understand the underlying causes and predispositions for relapse and parasite persistence in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients living with HIV and (2) to improve treatment monitoring of this target group in Ethiopia

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
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.

Detailed Description

Prospective and retrospective observational cohort study

Main objective

- To identify the key host and pathogen factors that contribute to active chronicity (=recurrent or chronic parasite presence in blood, tissue and/or skin in combination with clinical symptoms) in VL/HIV patients in northern Ethiopia

Specific objectives

  • To describe the VL/HIV patients by level of chronicity using routine clinical and laboratory data
  • To monitor parasite presence by molecular diagnostic in peripheral blood and - if available - tissue aspirates before, during, after treatment as well as during follow-up by level of disease chronicity
  • To broadly characterize the underlying HIV co-infection and potential of ART resistance by level of disease chronicity
  • To genotype the Leishmania parasites by level of disease chronicity to assess re-infection, recrudescence, drug resistance, and quiescence/virulence
  • To identify other concomitant (latent) co-infections (TB, malaria, intestinal helminths, viral infections) and its impact on disease chronicity
  • To study the level of exhaustion and immune checkpoint inhibition pathways, as potential therapy targets, by disease chronicity
  • To assess the quality of life by a standardised questionnaire at admission and during follow-up

Exploratory objective:

  • To study the persistence and quantity of parasites within the skin
  • To study the stool microbiome of VL-HIV patients
  • To assess the potential impact of secondary prophylaxis on relapse frequency, relapse intervals, relapse intensity, and exhaustion marker (compared with historical cohort/patients without secondary prophylaxis)

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.
Observational

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.
20

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.
  • Name: Nicole Berens-Riha
  • Phone Number: 0460850115
  • Email: nberens@itg.be

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

All HIV co-infected patients prospectively diagnosed with VL (either first infection or relapse) and known HIV co-infected patients recruited in previous studies

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. VL-HIV infection 1.1. VL: microscopically confirmed parasite presence in spleen or bone marrow tissue at first episode or relapse; for known active chronic cases: decision to treat VL 1.2. HIV: confirmed viral infection (new or past)
  2. ≥18 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Not willing to provide written informed consent
  2. Not willing to adhere to the follow-up visits
  3. Mentally or physically incapable to participate in the study (to the discretion of the treating physician)

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

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
key host and pathogen factors of active chronicity in VL/HIV patients
Time Frame: 12 months
Descriptive analysis of key host and pathogen factors that contribute to active chronicity in VL/HIV patients in northern Ethiopia
12 months

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.
Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium

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.
Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Ethiopia
University of Gondar

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: Eleni Ayele, LRTC University of Gondar

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.
October 21, 2025

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 1, 2027

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.
December 1, 2027

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).
March 17, 2026

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.
March 17, 2026

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.
March 23, 2026

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.
March 23, 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.
March 17, 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.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • 1926/25

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Vulnerable patients, individual participant data will not be shared. Only anonymized accumulated data.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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