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Immunologic Responses to a Live Attenuated Oral Cholera Vaccine

Immunologic Responses to a Live Attenuated Oral Cholera Vaccine

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03251495
Enrollment
34
Registered
2017-08-16
Start date
2017-08-29
Completion date
2025-11-06
Last updated
2026-02-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cholera

Keywords

Vaccination, Contagious Diseases, Tropical Medicine, Infectious Diseases

Brief summary

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the antibody response to the cholera vaccine, Vaxchora®, in healthy subjects. Investigators also seek to evaluate additional markers of the adaptive immune response including plasmablasts, activated B cells, memory B cells, and T cell responses in healthy subjects receiving cholera vaccine, produce monoclonal antibodies against cholera, and evaluate the safety and reactogenicity in healthy subjects receiving cholera vaccine.

Detailed description

Vibrio cholerae causes an acute diarrheal disease responsible for more than 100,000 deaths and affects an estimated 3 to 5 million people annually. Recent epidemics in Haiti and Africa illustrate the continued reach of this pathogen. Across the globe, one billion people lack access to safe drinking water and are vulnerable to cholera. The increasing disease burden, and emergence of more virulent strains, suggest that more aggressive approaches to preventing cholera are needed. This includes renewed efforts to understand the mechanism of protective immunity against cholera and to improve the protective efficacy of current cholera vaccines. Vaxchora is a live attenuated cholera vaccine that protects against some cholera strains. It has been approved by the FDA since June 2016. Since October, 2016, this vaccine has been recommended for certain travelers 18 through 64 years of age going to cholera-affected areas. The purpose of this study is to look at the immune responses to the FDA approved cholera vaccine (Vaxchora®). This study aims to enroll 50 participants who will receive the Vaxchora live cholera vaccine, of whom 30 will undergo two procedures for small intestinal biopsies: one at screening and the other post vaccination (25 participants at Day 29 and 5 participants at day 90) by an upper endoscopy biopsy (EGD).

Interventions

Vaxchora is a live attenuated cholera vaccine that provides immunity against V. cholerae serogroup O1. Participants will receive one single oral dose of 100 mL.

Sponsors

Emory University
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 49 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Capable of informed consent and provision of written informed consent before any study procedures * Capable of attending all study visits according to the study schedule * Are in good health, as determined by medical history and targeted physical exam related to this history * Female subjects of childbearing age must have a negative urine pregnancy test before study vaccination, and must use two forms of contraception to avoid pregnancy within one month of Vaxchora administration

Exclusion criteria

* Have an acute illness within 72 hours before vaccination * Have any acute or chronic medical condition that, in the opinion of the principal investigator, would make vaccination unsafe or interfere with the evaluation of immune response to study vaccination * Have a suppressed immune system as a result of illness, immunosuppressive medication, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy within 3 years prior to study vaccination * Have taken oral or parenteral corticosteroids of any dose within 30 days before study vaccination * Reside with individuals under the age of 2 or with an immunocompromised individuals * Have a known history of autoimmune disease * Have a history of Guillain-Barre Syndrome * Have plans to receive any vaccine from 28 days prior to study vaccination until Day 29 * Has previously received a cholera vaccine or have a known history of V. Cholerae. * Have donated blood or blood products within 56 days before study vaccination, plan to donate blood at any time during the 56-day duration of subject study participation, or plan to donate blood within 56 days after the last blood draw * Have known hypersensitivity or allergy to any component of the vaccine or history of anaphylaxis with a vaccine or vaccine component * Have allergy to tetracycline and/or ciprofloxacin * Are pregnant or breastfeeding or plan to within one month of vaccination * Traveled to a cholera endemic area and had traveler's diarrhea in the previous 5 years * Have abnormal stool pattern (fewer than 3 stools/ week or greater than 2 stools/ day) or regular use of laxatives in the last 6 months * Have current or recent antibiotic use in the past 14 days * Are healthcare workers who have direct contact with patients who are immunocompromised, have unstable medical conditions, or are under the age of 2 * Are childcare caregivers who have direct contact with children who are 2 years or younger * Are employed in the food industry * Have received any vaccine within the previous 21 days * History of bleeding disorders or current use of warfarin, aspirin, heparin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or other blood thinner/ anticoagulant medications in the past week for subjects undergoing intestinal biopsies. * Use of benzodiazepines or narcotics for subjects undergoing intestinal biopsies 4 weeks prior to the procedure * Any contraindications to endoscopy/concerns of the anesthesiologist for subjects who agree for esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)/biopsies * Body mass index (BMI) \> 35 kg/m\^2 * Have a diagnosis of any small bowel disease. This includes but is not limited to inflammatory bowel disease (e.g., Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, indeterminate colitis, or microscopic colitis), small bowel obstruction, celiac disease, h/o small bowel resection, small bowel lymphoma, Whipple's disease, primary intestinal lymphangiectasis, abdominal radiation. * Current medications for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or dyspepsia * History of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Level of Antibody Titers in SerumDay 1 (pre-vaccination), Day 29Antibody response is evaluated as the level of antibody titers in serum. Higher vibriocidal antibody titers indicate greater protection against cholera.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Plasmablast LevelsDay 1 (pre-vaccination), Day 8, Day 29Plasmablasts are collected via blood draw and isolated and assessed for counts by the study team.
Activated B Cell LevelsDay 1 (pre-vaccination), Day 8, Day 29Activated B cells are collected via blood draw and isolated and assessed for counts by the study team.
Memory B Cell LevelsDay 1 (pre-vaccination), Day 29Memory B cells are collected via blood draw and isolated and assessed for counts by the study team. The level of memory B cells is evaluated as the percentage of antigen specific immunoglobulin (Ig) secreting cells divided by the total Ig secreting cells.
Number of Monoclonal Antibodies Produced Per ParticipantDay 8The number of antigen-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) was assessed in a subset of participants on Day 8 post-vaccination. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated, and antigen-specific plasmablasts were single-cell sorted using fluorescently labeled V. cholerae antigens (e.g., CTB and LPS). Paired immunoglobulin heavy and light chain variable regions were amplified by RT-PCR, cloned into expression vectors, and expressed in mammalian cells. The number of unique antigen-specific monoclonal antibodies was determined by binding assays (e.g., ELISA).
Number of Cholera Toxin B (CTB) Specific Monoclonals and Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Specific Monoclonal Antibodies Per ParticipantDay 8The monoclonal antibodies obtained were characterized as cholera toxin B (CTB) specific monoclonals and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) specific monoclonals. The characterization of monoclonal antibodies against V. cholerae is assessed in a subset of participants.
Number of Adverse EventsUp to Day 8, Up to Day 29The number of solicited and unsolicited adverse events were collected.
Number of Serious Adverse EventsUp to Day 365The number of serious adverse events were collected during the duration of the study.

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORNadine Rouphael, MD

Emory University

Participant flow

Recruitment details

Participants were recruited at The Hope Clinic of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Participant enrollment began August 29, 2017 and follow up for the Day 29 study visit concluded on December 10, 2024.

Baseline characteristics

Characteristic
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
34 Participants
Age, Continuous33.9 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 8.5
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
1 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
33 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
11 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
20 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
34 Participants
Sex/Gender, Customized
Female
17 Participants
Sex/Gender, Customized
Male
13 Participants
Sex/Gender, Customized
Unknown/Not reported
4 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 34
other
Total, other adverse events
19 / 34
serious
Total, serious adverse events
1 / 34

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 14, 2026