Antibiotics to Reduce Chorioamnionitis-Related Perinatal HIV Transmission

Phase III Trial of Antibiotics to Reduce Chorioamnionitis-Related Perinatal HIV Transmission

The purpose of this study is to see if antibiotic drugs given to treat an infection of the uterus during pregnancy can reduce the chances of HIV being passed from an HIV-positive mother to her baby.

A link between bacterial disease of the vagina, premature birth, infection of the uterus during pregnancy, and the passing of HIV from a mother to her baby has been found. Early treatment of these problems may reduce the risk of passing HIV from an HIV-positive mother to her baby.

[Note: As of 02/21/03, enrollment into this study was halted because preliminary data showed that the study antibiotics were not effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission.]

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: HIV Infections
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Erythromycin; Drug: Nevirapine; Drug: Ampicillin sodium; Drug: Metronidazole

Detailed Description

Obstetric risk factors for HIV maternal-child transmission (MCT) include preterm birth, prolonged rupture of the membranes, and chorioamnionitis. Many preterm births are associated with and likely caused by chorioamnionitis. The relationship between bacterial vaginosis, preterm birth, histologic chorioamnionitis, and perinatal transmission of HIV has been consistently demonstrated. Perinatal HIV transmission is more common in preterm infants, and there is now evidence that subclinical chorioamnionitis is a substantial risk factor for MCT. For this study, the primary hypothesis is that early and appropriate treatment of subclinical chorioamnionitis prior to the onset of spontaneous preterm labor, and/or antibiotic treatment during labor, to prevent premature rupture of membrane-associated-chorioamnionitis, will reduce the risk of perinatal HIV transmission.

[Note: As of 02/21/03, enrollment into this study was halted because preliminary data showed that the study antibiotics were not effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission.]

At 20 to 24 weeks, women who are randomized to receive antibiotics receive metronidazole and erythromycin for 7 days. Women randomized to the control group receive identically appearing placebos. With the onset of contractions and/or premature rupture of membranes, study participants will initiate a second oral course of antibiotics consisting of metronidazole and ampicillin or placebo every 4 hours, continuing after delivery until the course is completed. All HIV-infected women and their neonates will be offered the HIVNET 012 nevirapine (NVP) regimen. If the mother accepts the NVP for herself and her baby, she will be given 1 dose of NVP to be taken at onset of labor, and her baby will receive 1 dose of NVP at 72 hours post-birth or discharge, whichever occurs earlier. If the mother refuses NVP or is uninfected, she will receive a matched placebo at the 26- to 30-week visit to preserve participant confidentiality. This study takes place in Blantyre and Lilongwe, Malawi, in Lusaka, Zambia, and in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 3720
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, United States, 27709
      • Megan Valentine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria

• HIV positive.
• 20 to 24 weeks pregnant.
• Willing to take the planned antibiotic treatment.
• Planning to deliver at 1 of the study sites.
• Willing to come back for follow-up visits for 1 year after the baby is born.

Exclusion Criteria

• Have taken antibiotics, except for syphilis or gonorrhea, within the last 2 weeks.
• Are allergic to penicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin, or metronidazole.
• Have major illnesses, such as diabetes, severe kidney or heart disease, or active tuberculosis, which might affect the pregnancy.
• Are having major problems with the pregnancy, such as placenta previa, ruptured membranes, or multiple pregnancy.
• Have a central nervous system disease, such as seizures.
• Are taking anticoagulant drugs.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Masking: Double

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• Collaborators: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Investigators: Study Chair: Taha E Taha, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University; Study Chair: Robert Goldenberg, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Goldenberg RL, Andrews WW, Yuan AC, MacKay HT, St Louis ME. Sexually transmitted diseases and adverse outcomes of pregnancy. Clin Perinatol. 1997 Mar;24(1):23-41.
• St Louis ME, Kamenga M, Brown C, Nelson AM, Manzila T, Batter V, Behets F, Kabagabo U, Ryder RW, Oxtoby M, et al. Risk for perinatal HIV-1 transmission according to maternal immunologic, virologic, and placental factors. JAMA. 1993 Jun 9;269(22):2853-9.
• Hauth JC, Goldenberg RL, Andrews WW, DuBard MB, Copper RL. Reduced incidence of preterm delivery with metronidazole and erythromycin in women with bacterial vaginosis. N Engl J Med. 1995 Dec 28;333(26):1732-6. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199512283332603.
• Mercer BM, Miodovnik M, Thurnau GR, Goldenberg RL, Das AF, Ramsey RD, Rabello YA, Meis PJ, Moawad AH, Iams JD, Van Dorsten JP, Paul RH, Bottoms SF, Merenstein G, Thom EA, Roberts JM, McNellis D. Antibiotic therapy for reduction of infant morbidity after preterm premature rupture of the membranes. A randomized controlled trial. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network. JAMA. 1997 Sep 24;278(12):989-95.
• Chi BH, Wang L, Read JS, Sheriff M, Fiscus S, Brown ER, Taha TE, Valentine M, Goldenberg R. Timing of maternal and neonatal dosing of nevirapine and the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1: HIVNET 024. AIDS. 2005 Nov 4;19(16):1857-64. doi: 10.1097/01.aids.0000189863.82429.2f.
• Goldenberg RL, Mudenda V, Read JS, Brown ER, Sinkala M, Kamiza S, Martinson F, Kaaya E, Hoffman I, Fawzi W, Valentine M, Taha TE; HPTN 024 Study Team. HPTN 024 study: histologic chorioamnionitis, antibiotics and adverse infant outcomes in a predominantly HIV-1-infected African population. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Oct;195(4):1065-74. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2006.05.046. Epub 2006 Jul 26.
• Goldenberg RL, Mwatha A, Read JS, Adeniyi-Jones S, Sinkala M, Msmanga G, Martinson F, Hoffman I, Fawzi W, Valentine M, Emel L, Brown E, Mudenda V, Taha TE; Hptn024 Team. The HPTN 024 Study: the efficacy of antibiotics to prevent chorioamnionitis and preterm birth. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Mar;194(3):650-61. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2006.01.004.
• Mwinga K, Vermund SH, Chen YQ, Mwatha A, Read JS, Urassa W, Carpenetti N, Valentine M, Goldenberg RL. Selected hematologic and biochemical measurements in African HIV-infected and uninfected pregnant women and their infants: the HIV Prevention Trials Network 024 protocol. BMC Pediatr. 2009 Aug 7;9:49. doi: 10.1186/1471-2431-9-49.
• Chi BH, Wang L, Read JS, Taha TE, Sinkala M, Brown ER, Valentine M, Martinson F, Goldenberg RL. Predictors of stillbirth in sub-saharan Africa. Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Nov;110(5):989-97. doi: 10.1097/01.AOG.0000281667.35113.a5.
• Goldenberg RL, Andrews WW, Hoffman I, Fawzi W, Valentine M, Young A, Read JS, Brown ER, Mudenda V, Kafulafula G, Mwinga K, Taha TE. Fetal fibronectin and adverse infant outcomes in a predominantly human immunodeficiency virus-infected African population: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Feb;109(2 Pt 1):392-401. doi: 10.1097/01.AOG.0000247628.68415.00. Erratum In: Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Oct;110(4):936.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 6, 2022
• Primary Completion: December 6, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): November 1, 2004

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 31, 2001
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 30, 2001
• First Posted (Estimate): August 31, 2001

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 1, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 28, 2021
• Last Verified: October 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: HIV Seronegativity; Drug Therapy, Combination; Ampicillin; Nevirapine; Disease Transmission, Vertical; Anti-Infective Agents; Erythromycin; Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; Metronidazole; Anti-HIV Agents; Chorioamnionitis
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Fetal Diseases; Pregnancy Complications; Fetal Membranes, Premature Rupture; Obstetric Labor Complications; Placenta Diseases; Chorioamnionitis; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Anti-Infective Agents; Antiviral Agents; Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors; Enzyme Inhibitors; Anti-HIV Agents; Anti-Retroviral Agents; Gastrointestinal Agents; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inducers; Antiprotozoal Agents; Antiparasitic Agents; Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A Inducers; Metronidazole; Nevirapine; Erythromycin; Erythromycin Estolate; Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate; Erythromycin stearate; Ampicillin
• Other Study ID Numbers: HIVNET 024; 11622 (Registry Identifier: DAIDS ES)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No