Impact of Chlorhexidine Cleansing on Bacteria Colonizing the Umbilical Cord of Infants in Bangladesh

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Infection

In brief

Background: In developing countries, many babies are born at home and the umbilical cord commonly becomes infected during the first week after birth, and can be deadly. Cleansing of the cord with a low-cost antiseptic like chlorhexidine may reduce the risk of these infections. Little is known, however, about the frequency of chlorhexidine cleansing needed to impact upon the overall presence of bacteria on the stump, or regarding the changes in bacteria during the first week of life when most cord infections occur. Objectives: We will describe the profile of bacteria colonizing the umbilical cord stump of infants in rural Bangladesh and examine the role of topical chlorhexidine in altering colonization and progress of infection. We will compare the overall and bacteria-specific rate of colonization of the cord stump between infants receiving chlorhexidine cleansing of their cord through the first day or first week of life. We will also quantify the relationship between colonization of the cord stump with specific pathogens and the presence and severity of signs of umbilical cord infection (pus, redness, swelling) among these newborns. Potential Impact: More information is needed on the impact of single versus repeated applications of chlorhexidine to the cord stump, as the number of cleansing may substantially influence the feasibility of widespread scale-up in many populations. The data generated from this proposed study will guide the most appropriate design of this simple intervention and will help inform specific treatment protocols for effective management of infants with signs of umbilical cord infections.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00719329

Run by

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

People needed

1931

Starts

2008-08-01

Expected to finish

2009-09-01

Last updated by the study team

2012-04-20

Who can join

Age: any, up to 0. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Enrolled in parent chlorhexidine cleansing trial

You may not qualify if…

• Not enrolled in parent trial
• First visited after 48 hours of life

Where it is running

• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health — Baltimore, Maryland, United States
• Projahnmo — Sylhet, Sylhet Division, Bangladesh
• Dhaka Shishu Hospital — Dhaka, Bangladesh

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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