Wells and Enteric Disease Transmission

Running, not enrolling · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Diarrhea, Gastrointestinal Infection, Respiratory Viral Infection, Waterborne Diseases

In brief

Approximately 40 million people in the US are served by private, and frequently untreated, wells. Our best estimate is that 1.3 million cases of gastrointestinal illnesses (GI) per year are attributed to consuming water from untreated private wells in the US, but in reality, there are no robust epidemiological data that can be used to estimate cases of GI attributable to these sources. We propose the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) to estimate the burden of GI associated with private well water. We will test if household treatment of private well water by ultraviolet light (UV) vs. sham (inactive UV device) decreases the incidence of GI in children under 5. We will also examine the presence of viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens in stool and well water from participants. These data will fill a knowledge gap on sporadic GI associated with federally-unregulated private water supplies in the US.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT04826991

Run by

Temple University

People needed

908

Starts

2021-07-01

Expected to finish

2027-08-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-16

Who can join

Age: 1 and older, up to 5. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Child resides in Adams, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northumberland, Northampton, Perry, Pike, Schuylkill, Wayne, Wyoming, and York county in Pennsylvania and all counties in New Jersey.
• Household is served by a private well
• Participant child is under the age of 5 (under 4 at time of enrollment), who is a full-time resident of the home and drinks untreated well water
• Parent/guardian has access to a phone with texting capabilities

You may not qualify if…

• Child participant is immunocompromised
• Child participant has a chronic gastrointestinal condition
• Child takes daily oral steroids
• Household treats water for microbiological contamination before consumption
• Child exclusively drinks bottled water

Where it is running

• Temple University — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.