The Effect of Rifabutin in Mycobacterium Abscessus With Inducible Clarithromycin Resistance

Recruiting now · Phase 4

Conditions studied: Mycobacterium Abscessus Lung Disease

In brief

Background: Mycobacterium abscessus, one of the most common species of nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM), poses a significant clinical challenge due to its natural resistance to antibiotics and high treatment failure rates, particularly in lung diseases. Among its subspecies, M. abscessus subspecies abscessus is especially prone to developing inducible resistance to Clarithromycin. This resistance mechanism is primarily due to the activation of the erm(41) gene,which inhibits Clarithromycin from effectively binding to the bacterial ribosome, diminishing its bactericidal efficacy. Rifabutin, an antibiotic widely used in treating tuberculosis and certain NTM infections, has been shown to inhibit the activation of the erm(41) gene by suppressing the whiB7 protein in M. abscessus, suggesting potential efficacy against inducible resistance. However,current evidence primarily stems from in vitro susceptibility studies and case reports, with a notable lack of systematic clinical trials.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07514364

Run by

National Taiwan University Hospital

People needed

60

Starts

2026-01-01

Expected to finish

2026-06-18

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-10

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Adults aged ≥ 18 years
• Diagnosis of pulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium abscessus confirmed by clinical evaluation and laboratory results
• Antimicrobial susceptibility testing indicating inducible resistance to clarithromycin
• Clinically stable and suitable for antibiotic treatment
• Radiographic evidence of active pulmonary infection
• Willing and able to provide informed consent

You may not qualify if…

• Known hypersensitivity to rifabutin or intolerance to other study medications
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women

Where it is running

• National Taiwan University Hospital — Taipei, Taiwan (enrolling)

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.