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Ahmed T, Chisti MJ, Rahman MW, Alam T, Ahmed D, Parvin I, Kabir MF, Sazawal S, Dhingra P, Dutta A, Deb S, Chouhan A, Sharma AK, Jaiswal VK, Dhingra U, Walson JL, Singa BO, Pavlinac PB, McGrath CJ, Nyabinda C, Deichsel EL, Anyango M, Kariuki KM, Rwigi D, Tornberg-Belanger SN, Kotloff KL, Sow SO, Tapia MD, Haidara FC, Mehta A, Coulibaly F, Badji H, Permala-Booth J, Tennant SM, Malle D, Bar-Zeev N, Dube Q, Freyne B, Cunliffe N, Ndeketa L, Witte D, Ndamala C, Cornick J, Qamar FN, Yousafzai MT, Qureshi S, Shakoor S, Thobani R, Hotwani A, Kabir F, Mohammed J, Manji K, Duggan CP, Kisenge R, Sudfeld CR, Kibwana U, Somji S, Bakari M, Msemwa C, Samma A, Bahl R, De Costa A, Simon J, Ashorn P. Effect of 3 Days of Oral Azithromycin on Young Children With Acute Diarrhea in Low-Resource Settings: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open 2021; 4:e2136726. [PMID: 34913980 PMCID: PMC8678692 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.36726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Importance World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines do not recommend routine antibiotic use for children with acute watery diarrhea. However, recent studies suggest that a significant proportion of such episodes have a bacterial cause and are associated with mortality and growth impairment, especially among children at high risk of diarrhea-associated mortality. Expanding antibiotic use among dehydrated or undernourished children may reduce diarrhea-associated mortality and improve growth. Objective To determine whether the addition of azithromycin to standard case management of acute nonbloody watery diarrhea for children aged 2 to 23 months who are dehydrated or undernourished could reduce mortality and improve linear growth. Design, Setting, and Participants The Antibiotics for Children with Diarrhea (ABCD) trial was a multicountry, randomized, double-blind, clinical trial among 8266 high-risk children aged 2 to 23 months presenting with acute nonbloody diarrhea. Participants were recruited between July 1, 2017, and July 10, 2019, from 36 outpatient hospital departments or community health centers in a mixture of urban and rural settings in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Pakistan, and Tanzania. Each participant was followed up for 180 days. Primary analysis included all randomized participants by intention to treat. Interventions Enrolled children were randomly assigned to receive either oral azithromycin, 10 mg/kg, or placebo once daily for 3 days in addition to standard WHO case management protocols for the management of acute watery diarrhea. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcomes included all-cause mortality up to 180 days after enrollment and linear growth faltering 90 days after enrollment. Results A total of 8266 children (4463 boys [54.0%]; mean [SD] age, 11.6 [5.3] months) were randomized. A total of 20 of 4133 children in the azithromycin group (0.5%) and 28 of 4135 children in the placebo group (0.7%) died (relative risk, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.40-1.27). The mean (SD) change in length-for-age z scores 90 days after enrollment was -0.16 (0.59) in the azithromycin group and -0.19 (0.60) in the placebo group (risk difference, 0.03; 95% CI, 0.01-0.06). Overall mortality was much lower than anticipated, and the trial was stopped for futility at the prespecified interim analysis. Conclusions and Relevance The study did not detect a survival benefit for children from the addition of azithromycin to standard WHO case management of acute watery diarrhea in low-resource settings. There was a small reduction in linear growth faltering in the azithromycin group, although the magnitude of this effect was not likely to be clinically significant. In low-resource settings, expansion of antibiotic use is not warranted. Adherence to current WHO case management protocols for watery diarrhea remains appropriate and should be encouraged. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03130114.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahmeed Ahmed
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammod Jobayer Chisti
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Muhammad Waliur Rahman
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tahmina Alam
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Dilruba Ahmed
- Laboratory Sciences and Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Irin Parvin
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Farhad Kabir
- Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Sunil Sazawal
- Center for Public Health Kinetics, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | | | - Arup Dutta
- Center for Public Health Kinetics, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Saikat Deb
- Center for Public Health Kinetics, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | | | | | | | - Usha Dhingra
- Center for Public Health Kinetics, New Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Judd L Walson
- Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle
- Department of Medicine (Allergy and Infectious Diseases), University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Benson O Singa
- Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition Network, Nairobi, Kenya
- Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | | | | | - Emily L Deichsel
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
| | | | | | - Doreen Rwigi
- Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Karen L Kotloff
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
- Department of Medicine, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
| | - Samba O Sow
- Centre pour le Développement des Vaccins, Bamako, Mali
| | - Milagritos D Tapia
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
- Department of Medicine, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
| | - Fadima Cheick Haidara
- Division of Advanced Primary Health Care Research and Clinical Trials, Centre pour le Développement des Vaccins, Bamako, Mali
| | - Ashka Mehta
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
- Department of Medicine, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
| | - Flanon Coulibaly
- Division of Advanced Primary Health Care Research and Clinical Trials, Centre pour le Développement des Vaccins, Bamako, Mali
| | - Henry Badji
- Division of Clinical Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Centre pour le Développement des Vaccins, Bamako, Mali
| | - Jasnehta Permala-Booth
- Department of Medicine, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
| | - Sharon M Tennant
- Department of Medicine, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
| | - Dramane Malle
- Division of Clinical Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Centre pour le Développement des Vaccins, Bamako, Mali
| | - Naor Bar-Zeev
- International Vaccine Access Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Queen Dube
- Department of Pediatrics, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Bridget Freyne
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, The University of Liverpool, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Nigel Cunliffe
- National Institutes of Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Gastrointestinal Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Latif Ndeketa
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Desiree Witte
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Chifundo Ndamala
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Jennifer Cornick
- Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, The University of Liverpool, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Farah Naz Qamar
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Heath, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | | | - Shahida Qureshi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Sadia Shakoor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Rozina Thobani
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Heath, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Aneeta Hotwani
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Heath, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Furqan Kabir
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Heath, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Jan Mohammed
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Heath, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Karim Manji
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Christopher P Duggan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rodrick Kisenge
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Christopher R Sudfeld
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Upendo Kibwana
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Sarah Somji
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Mohamed Bakari
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Cecylia Msemwa
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Abraham Samma
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rajiv Bahl
- Department of Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health and Aging, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ayesha De Costa
- Department of Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health and Aging, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jonathon Simon
- Department of Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health and Aging, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Per Ashorn
- Department of Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health and Aging, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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Arzika AM, Maliki R, Ali MM, Alio MK, Abdou A, Cotter SY, Varnado NE, Lebas E, Cook C, Oldenburg CE, O’Brien KS, Callahan EK, Bailey RL, West SK, Porco TC, Lietman TM, Keenan JD. Effect of Mass Azithromycin Distributions on Childhood Growth in Niger: A Cluster-Randomized Trial. JAMA Netw Open 2021; 4:e2139351. [PMID: 34967883 PMCID: PMC8719241 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.39351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Mass azithromycin distributions may decrease childhood mortality, although the causal pathway is unclear. The potential for antibiotics to function as growth promoters may explain some of the mortality benefit. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether biannual mass azithromycin distributions are associated with increased childhood growth. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cluster-randomized trial was performed from December 2014 until March 2020 among 30 rural communities in Boboye and Loga departments in Niger, Africa, with populations from 200 to 2000 individuals. Communities were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to biannual mass distributions of azithromycin or placebo for children ages 1 to 59 months. Participants, field-workers, and study personnel were masked to treatment allocation. Height and weight changes from baseline to follow-up at 4 years were compared between groups. Data were analyzed from June through November 2021. INTERVENTIONS Participants received azithromycin at 20 mg/kg using height-based approximation or by weight for children unable to stand every 6 months at the participants' households. Placebo contained the vehicle of the azithromycin suspension. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Longitudinal anthropometric assessments were performed on a random sample of children before the first treatment and then annually for 5 years. Height and weight were the prespecified primary outcomes. RESULTS Among 3936 children enrolled from 30 communities, baseline characteristics were similar between 1299 children in the azithromycin group and 2637 children in the placebo group (mean 48.2% [95% CI, 45.5% to 50.8%] girls vs 48.0% [95% CI, 45.7% to 50.3%] girls; mean age, 30.8 months [95% CI, 29.5 to 32.0 months] vs 30.6 months [95% CI, 29.2 to 31.6 months]). Baseline anthropometric assessments were performed among 2230 children, including 985 children in the azithromycin group and 1245 children in the placebo group, of whom follow-up measurements were available for 789 children (80.1%) and 1063 children (85.4%), respectively. At the prespecified 4-year follow-up visit, children in the azithromycin group gained a mean 6.7 cm (95% CI, 6.5 to 6.8 cm) in height and 1.7 kg (95% CI, 1.7 to 1.8 kg) in weight per year and children in the placebo group gained a mean 6.6 cm (95% CI, 6.4 to 6.7 cm) in height and 1.7 kg (95% CI, 1.7 to 1.8 kg) in weight per year. Height at 4 years was not statistically significantly different between groups when adjusted for baseline height (0.08 cm [95% CI, -0.12 to 0.28 cm] greater in the azithromycin group; P = .45), and neither was weight when adjusted for height and baseline weight (0.02 kg [95% CI, -0.10 to 0.06 kg] less in the azithromycin group; P = .64). However, among children in the shortest quartile of baseline height, azithromycin was associated with a 0.4 cm (95% CI, 0.1 to 0.7 cm) increase in height compared with placebo. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This study did not find evidence of an association between mass azithromycin distributions and childhood growth, although subgroup analysis suggested some benefit for the shortest children. These findings suggest that the mortality benefit of mass azithromycin distributions is unlikely to be due solely to growth promotion. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02048007.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed M. Arzika
- Carter Center, Niamey, Niger
- Centre de Recherche et Interventions en Santé Publique, Birni N’Gaoure, Niger
| | - Ramatou Maliki
- Carter Center, Niamey, Niger
- Centre de Recherche et Interventions en Santé Publique, Birni N’Gaoure, Niger
| | | | - Mankara K. Alio
- Centre de Recherche et Interventions en Santé Publique, Birni N’Gaoure, Niger
| | - Amza Abdou
- Programme National de Santé Oculaire, Niamey, Niger
| | - Sun Y. Cotter
- Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Nicole E. Varnado
- Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Elodie Lebas
- Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Catherine Cook
- Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Catherine E. Oldenburg
- Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Kieran S. O’Brien
- Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco
| | | | - Robin L. Bailey
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England
| | - Sheila K. West
- Dana Center for Preventive Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Travis C. Porco
- Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, California
| | - Thomas M. Lietman
- Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, California
- Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Jeremy D. Keenan
- Francis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco
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