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Typhus treatment Face-Off: which antibiotic clears bacteria faster?

NCT ID NCT05972772

Disease control Sponsor: Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital Wellcome Trust Research Unit Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Oct 13, 2026 · Last updated Oct 14, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Murine and scrub typhus are bacterial infections spread by fleas and mites. Doctors often treat them with doxycycline or azithromycin, but they do not know which drug clears the bacteria faster or how the drugs move through the body. This trial enrolls 72 adults with typhus in Laos. Researchers give participants one of the two antibiotics and measure bacterial DNA in their blood over time to compare clearance rates and drug levels.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
doxycycline or azithromycin, two common antibiotics
What this could lead to
If the study clarifies how quickly each antibiotic clears typhus bacteria, doctors could choose the most effective treatment sooner, especially for pregnant women and young children who often receive azithromycin.
What could go wrong
The trial is small and only measures bacterial clearance over a short period. It may not show a clear difference between the two drugs, and results might not apply to all patients or settings.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 2/3

Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.

Participants

About 72 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Nov 2024

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age above or equal 18 years * Able to take oral medication * Rapid test positive for murine typhus or scrub typhus * Agrees to stay in hospital for at least 36 hours and to attend for scheduled follow up visits * Written informed consent to participate in the study * A negative urinary pregnancy test for all women of child-bearing age Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy or breast feeding * Previous allergic reaction to doxycycline or azithromycin * Received more than one dose of chloramphenicol, doxycycline, tetracycline, fluoroquinolones, rifampicin or azithromycin during this hospital admission or more than one dose of any of these drugs in the week before admission * Contraindication to doxycycline: severe hepatic impairment, known SLE * Contraindication to azithromycin: sever hepatic impairment * Severe typhus defined as the presence of one or more of the following: 1. Reduced level of consciousness 2. Clinical jaundice 3. Shock (BP systolic \<80 mmHg) 4. Unable to take oral medication 5. Radiological evidence of pneumonia 6. Clinical evidence for meningitis/encephalitis or the need of LP 7. Alternative diagnosis confirmed that explains the presenting symptoms 8. Any other syndrome which in the opinion of the admitting doctor constitutes severe typhus (reason must be stated)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

endemic typhus infectious disease scrub typhus

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Infectious disease Therapeutics

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit (LOMWRU)

    RECRUITING

    Vientiane, Vientaine, 0103, Laos

  • Vientiane Provincial Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Muang Phon-Hong, Vientiane Province, Laos

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