Click image to enlargeIn this study, we are looking for healthy volunteers in order to test the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine we are developing against hookworm. Hookworm is an intestinal parasite that is very common in developing countries.
The first step is a screening visit (~1 hour) to determine your eligibility, which includes a physical exam, medical history review and providing a blood, urine and stool sample. If you are eligible you would then receive 3 vaccinations of the hookworm vaccine (or saline placebo) given as an injection in the upper arm muscle. One month after the third vaccination you will come in for the hookworm infection visit.
There are a total of 40 clinic visits over a 14 month period. Vaccination visits and the hookworm dosing visit take ~1h 30 min, and follow-up visits take 15-30 min. Participants will provide routine blood, urine, and stool samples, and record symptoms on a diary card. Participants will be infected for about 4 months and then given medication to totally cure you of the hookworm infection prior to completion of the study.
We are looking for volunteers who meet the following, at minimum:
- 18-45 yrs old, in good health, living in the Washington DC metro area for the duration of the study (14 months)
- negative for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C
- no prior hookworm infection or residence for >6 months in a region where hookworm is common (dependent upon living conditions)