ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT04665791Updated Mar 27, 2025

A Human Controlled Infection Study with Neisseria Lactamica in Malian Adults

An interventional study of Intranasal inoculation with Neisseria lactamica in Meningitis, Meningococcal, sponsored by Center for Vaccine Development - Mali. Completed at 1 site in Mali. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 45 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-03-27.

Sponsored by Center for Vaccine Development - Mali · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
55
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 45 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study is part of a series of projects to improve protection against meningitis. Previously, researchers have given nose drops containing N. lactamica to over 400 volunteers and shown that many of them become colonised with N. lactamica without causing any illness or disease. This has previously been shown to prevent people from becoming colonised with N. meningitidis which can cause meningitis. This study aims to give nose drops containing N. lactamica to healthy adults in Mali, to see if they become safely colonised. In the future the study team would like to find out how N.lactamica helps children resist N.meningitidis, and develop new vaccines that exploit that mechanism.

Read the detailed description

In this pilot research, the study team will use a methodology of nasal inoculation with reconstituted lyophilised N. lactamica (hereafter LyoNlac) developed in a previous, UK-based, human challenge study. This methodology and will be developed further and validated in healthy Malian adults.

A dose-ranging strategy will be used, starting with the dose identified as the standard inoculum in healthy adults in the UK, which was the dose required to induce colonisation in approximately 80% of volunteers. The dose will be escalated to a dose able to induce a similar level of colonisation in Malian adults. This study will inform the study team whether intranasal inoculation of reconstituted lyophilised Nlac (hereafter, lyoNlac), can result in immunising colonisation of adult Malian volunteers and the optimal dose to achieve this. This dose and methodology will then be used in future studies looking at the duration and immunogenicity of colonisation induced by LyoNlac in Mali.

02

Conditions studied

  • Meningitis, Meningococcal

Keywords

  • Meningitis
  • Controlled human infection
  • Healthy volunteer
  • Neisseria lactamica
  • Lyophilization
03

In context

Meningitis, Meningococcal

125 studies on the registry are indexed under Meningitis, Meningococcal; 10 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 55 is below the median of 538 across 113 interventional studies indexed under Meningitis, Meningococcal.

Browse Meningitis, Meningococcal studies →

Lead sponsor

This is the only study on the registry with Center for Vaccine Development - Mali as lead sponsor.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 45 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy adults aged 18 to 45 years inclusive on the day of enrolment residing outside the demographic surveillance area
  • Able and willing (in the investigator's opinion) to understand and comply with all study requirements including availability for all study follow up visits
  • Provide written to participate in the trial
  • For females only, all the following:
  • willingness to practice continuous effective at least until the Day 28 visit is complete
  • negative urine pregnancy test on the screening day
  • negative urine pregnancy test on inoculation day

Exclusion Criteria:

Eligibility Minimum Age: 18 Years Maximum Age: 45 Years Sex: All Gender Based: No Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy adults aged 18 to 45 years inclusive on the day of enrolment residing outside the demographic surveillance area
  • Able and willing (in the investigator's opinion) to understand and comply with all study requirements including availability for all study follow up visits
  • Provide written informed consent to participate in the trial
  • For females only, all the following:
  • willingness to practice continuous effective contraception at least until the Day 28 visit is complete
  • negative urine pregnancy test on the screening day
  • negative urine pregnancy test on inoculation day

Exclusion Criteria:

  • N. lactamica detected on throat swab taken at the screening visit
  • Individuals who have an ongoing acute illness at the time of inoculation
  • Individuals who have been involved in other clinical trials involving receipt of an product over the last 12 weeks or if there is planned use of an investigational product during the study period
  • Use of systemic antibiotics within the period 30 days prior to the challenge
  • Any confirmed or suspected or immune-deficient state, including infection; asplenia; recurrent, severe infections and chronic (more than 14 days) immunosuppressant medication (including oral ) within the past 6 months (topical steroids are allowed)
  • Use of immunoglobulins or blood products within 3 months prior to enrolment.
  • History of allergic disease or reactions to soya.
  • Any abnormal finding on clinical examination or screening investigations
  • History of any surgery to the nose or throat in the previous 3 months
  • Any other significant disease, disorder, or finding which may significantly increase the risk to the volunteer because of participation in the study, affect the ability of the volunteer to participate in the study or impair interpretation of the study data
  • Occupational, household or intimate contact with immunosuppressed persons
  • Positive pregnancy test or lactation
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(7)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

Immunosuppression

A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.

Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.

HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.

Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
55 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Challenge

    Challenge participants will be inoculated intranasally with reconstituted, previously lyophilised Neisseria lactamica (LyoNlac). The initial dose will be 10\^5 colony forming units and will be escalated to a maximum of 10\^7 colony forming units to find the dose which successfully colonises at least 70% of volunteers.

    Biological: Intranasal inoculation with Neisseria lactamica

Interventions

  • BiologicalIntranasal inoculation with Neisseria lactamica

    Lyophilised Neisseria lactamica will be reconstituted and administered to participants intranasally.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Establish the impact of nasal inoculation of healthy Malian volunteers with reconstituted lyophilised Neisseria lactamica by assessing nasopharyngeal colonisation with Neisseria species

    Throat swabs will be taken at standardised visits and analysed for nasopharyngeal colonisation with Neisseria species. Standard tests include culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

    Time frame: 6 months

  2. Establish the effect of the nasal inoculation of healthy Malian volunteers with reconstituted lyophilised Neisseria lactamica by collecting information about symptoms

    Information about symptoms will be collected at standardised visits. Any symptoms will be recorded and assessed by a study doctor. If deemed necessary by the study doctor further tests will be requested.

    Time frame: 6 months

  3. Analyse the haemoglobin of healthy Malian volunteers inoculated with reconstituted lyophilised Neisseria lactamica

    Blood samples will be taken at specified time points and compared to those collected at baseline. Any change in results will be recorded and, if deemed necessary by the medical team, further tests will be requested. Standard tests - haemoglobin - g/dL

    Time frame: 3 months

  4. Analyse the white cell count of healthy Malian volunteers inoculated with reconstituted lyophilised Neisseria lactamica

    Blood samples will be taken at specified time points and compared to those collected at baseline. Any change in results will be recorded and, if deemed necessary by the medical team, further tests will be requested. Standard tests - white cell count - x 10\^9/L

    Time frame: 3 months

  5. Analyse the platelet count of healthy Malian volunteers inoculated with reconstituted lyophilised Neisseria lactamica

    Blood samples will be taken at specified time points and compared to those collected at baseline. Any change in results will be recorded and, if deemed necessary by the medical team, further tests will be requested. Standard tests - Platelet count x 10\^9/L

    Time frame: 3 months

  6. Analyse the biochemistry blood results (ALT) of healthy Malian volunteers inoculated with reconstituted lyophilised Neisseria lactamica

    Blood samples will be taken at specified time points and compared to those collected at baseline. Any change in results will be recorded and, if deemed necessary by the medical team, further tests will be requested. Standard tests - ALT

    Time frame: 3 months

  7. Analyse the biochemistry blood results (Creatinine) of healthy Malian volunteers inoculated with reconstituted lyophilised Neisseria lactamica

    Blood samples will be taken at specified time points and compared to those collected at baseline. Any change in results will be recorded and, if deemed necessary by the medical team, further tests will be requested. Standard tests - Creatinine (mg/dL)

    Time frame: 3 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. The dose of reconstituted lyophilised Neisseria lactamica required for nasopharyngeal colonisation in at least 70% of inoculees

    The dose will be confirmed by throat swabs taken from participants and analysed for bacteria by culture and polymerase chain reaction. The desired dose will be confirmed when at least 70%o of inoculees are colonised

    Time frame: 6 months

  2. To measure Neisseria lactamica specific immunity following nasal inoculation with reconstituted lyophilised Neisseria lactamica

    Blood samples will be collected at standardised visits and antibody levels (mg/dL) will be measured to assess if those colonised with Neisseria lactamica show an increase in antibody levels in comparison to baseline

    Time frame: 1 year

07

Study locations

1 site
  • CVD Mali
    Bamako, Mali
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Ran from Mar 2021 to primary completion in Oct 2021, 7 months.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Dec 7, 2020
First posted
Dec 14, 2020
StartActual
Mar 2, 2021
Primary completionActual
Oct 10, 2021
CompletionActual
Jun 6, 2023
Last update
Mar 27, 2025
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 27, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04665791
Lead sponsor
Center for Vaccine Development - Mali
Collaborators
University of Southampton, University of Maryland, University College, London, University of Oxford, Public Health England
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Dec 14, 2020
Start date
Mar 2, 2021
Primary completion
Oct 10, 2021
Completion
Jun 6, 2023
Last update
Mar 27, 2025

Study contacts

Robert C Read, MD FRCP
principal investigator · University of Southampton
Samba Sow, MD
principal investigator · Center for Vaccine Development - Mali
Milagritos Tapia, MD
principal investigator · University of Maryland

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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