Mycotic Ulcer Treatment Trial I (MUTT I)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00996736 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : October 16, 2009
Results First Posted : December 11, 2013
Last Update Posted : August 1, 2018
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Corneal Ulcer Eye Infections, Fungal | Drug: Natamycin Drug: Voriconazole | Phase 3 |
Fungal corneal ulcers tend to have very poor outcomes with commonly used treatments. There has only been a single randomized trial of anti-fungal therapy for mycotic keratitis, and no new ocular anti-fungal medications have been approved by the FDA since the 1960s. The triazole voriconazole has recently become the treatment of choice for systemic fungal infections such as pulmonary aspergillosis. The use of topical ophthalmic preparations of voriconazole has been described in numerous case reports, however there has been no systematic attempt to determine whether it is more or less clinically effective than natamycin. Additionally, there have been many case reports of the use of oral voriconazole in the treatment of fungal corneal ulcers, however there has been no systematic attempt to determine if it improves outcomes in severe ulcers.
This study is a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial to determine if the use natamycin or voriconazole results in better outcomes for fungal corneal ulcers. 368 fungal corneal ulcers with baseline visual acuity between 6/12 (20/40, logMAR 0.3) and 6/120 (20/400, logMAR 1.3) presenting to the Aravind Eye Hospitals and the UCSF Proctor Foundation will be randomized to receive either topical natamycin or topical voriconazole. The primary outcome is best spectacle-corrected logMAR visual acuity three months after enrollment, using best spectacle-corrected enrollment visual acuity as a co-variate.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 323 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Mycotic Ulcer Treatment Trial |
Study Start Date : | April 2010 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | July 2012 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | July 2012 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Active Comparator: Topical Natamycin |
Drug: Natamycin
5% natamycin plus 0.02% preservative, one drop to the affected eye every one hour while awake for 1 week, then every 2 hours while awake until 3 weeks after enrollment. |
Experimental: Topical Voriconazole |
Drug: Voriconazole
1% voriconazole plus 0.01% preservative, 1 drop applied to the affected eye every one hour while awake for 1 week, then every 2 hours while awake until three weeks after enrollment. |
- Best Spectacle-corrected logMAR Visual Acuity [ Time Frame: 3 months from enrollment ]The primary analysis is best spectacle-corrected logMAR (logarithm of the Minimum Angle or Resolution) visual acuity, correcting for enrollment BSCVA and treatment arm in a multiple linear regression model. The pre-specified non-inferiority margin is less than 1.5 lines logMAR acuity. (Adjusted three-month visual acuity confidence bounds for the difference between the voriconazole and natamycin groups which meet or exceed 0.15 logMAR units would not permit noninferiority to be declared.) Note that this design also allows declaration of superiority (2-sided alpha of 0.05, corrected for an interim analysis).
- Best Spectacle-corrected logMAR Visual Acuity [ Time Frame: 3 weeks after enrollment ]Best spectacle-corrected logMAR (logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution) visual acuity at 3 weeks after enrollment, adjusting for enrollment BSCVA and treatment arm in a multiple linear regression model
- Hard Contact Lens-corrected Visual Acuity Measured in logMAR [ Time Frame: 3 months after enrollment ]Hard contact lens-corrected visual acuity measured in logMAR (logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution) 3 months after enrollment
- Size of Infiltrate/Scar [ Time Frame: 3 weeks and 3 months after enrollment ]Size of infiltrate/scar at 3 weeks and 3 months after enrollment, using enrollment infiltrate scar/size as a covariate
- Time to Resolution of Epithelial Defect [ Time Frame: From enrollment to the time of resolution of epithelial defect ]Time in days from enrollment to resolution of epithelial defect. For those subjects with more than 21 days to resolution, 21 days was used.
- Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of Isolates [ Time Frame: 3 months after enrollment ]Minimum inhibitory concentration (50th percentile) of fungal isolates to natamycin and voriconazole
- Microbiological Cure at 6 Days [ Time Frame: 7 days after enrollment ]Microbiological cure defined as no fungal growth on culture at 6 (+/-1) days from enrollment

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 16 Years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Presence of a corneal ulcer at presentation
- Evidence of filamentous fungus on smear (KOH wet mount, Giemsa, or Gram stain)
- Visual acuity between 6/12 (20/40, logMAR 0.3) and 6/120 (20/400, logMAR 1.3)
- The patient must be able to verbalize a basic understanding of the study after it is explained to the patient, as determined by physician examiner. This understanding must include a commitment to return for follow-up visits.
- Willingness to be treated as an inpatient or to be treated as an outpatient and return every 3 days +/- 1 day until re-epithelialization and every week to receive fresh medication for 3 weeks
- Appropriate consent
Exclusion Criteria:
- Impending perforation
- Evidence of bacteria on Gram stain at the time of enrollment
- Evidence of acanthamoeba by stain
- Evidence of herpetic keratitis by history or exam
- Corneal scar not easily distinguishable from current ulcer
- Age less than 16 years (before 16th birthday)
- Bilateral ulcers
- Previous penetrating keratoplasty in the affected eye
- Pregnancy (by history or urine test) or breast feeding (by history)
- Acuity worse than 6/60 (2/200) in the fellow eye (note that any acuity, uncorrected, corrected, pinhole, or BSCVA 6/60 or better qualifies for enrollment)
- Acuity worse than 6/120 (20/400) or better than 6/12 (20/40) in the study eye (note that any acuity, uncorrected, corrected, pinhole, or BSCVA can be used for enrollment)
- Known allergy to study medications (antifungal or preservative)
- No light perception in the affected eye
- Not willing to participate

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00996736
United States, California | |
Proctor Foundation, UCSF | |
San Francisco, California, United States, 94143 | |
India | |
Aravind Eye Hospitals | |
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India | |
Aravind Eye Hospital | |
Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, India |
Principal Investigator: | NV Prajna, DNB, FRC Ophth | Aravind Eye Hospitals | |
Principal Investigator: | Nisha Acharya, MD, MS | Proctor Foundation, UCSF | |
Principal Investigator: | Tom Lietman, MD | Proctor Foundation, UCSF |
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Responsible Party: | Thomas M. Lietman, Professor in Residence, University of California, San Francisco |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00996736 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
H9332-33965-02 U10EY018573-01A1 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ) |
First Posted: | October 16, 2009 Key Record Dates |
Results First Posted: | December 11, 2013 |
Last Update Posted: | August 1, 2018 |
Last Verified: | July 2018 |
Fungal Infections Eye Disease Fungal Keratitis Visual Acuity |
Corneal Ulcer Eye Infections Mycoses Eye Infections, Fungal Ulcer Infection Pathologic Processes Keratitis Corneal Diseases Eye Diseases Voriconazole Natamycin Antifungal Agents |
Anti-Infective Agents 14-alpha Demethylase Inhibitors Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors Enzyme Inhibitors Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Steroid Synthesis Inhibitors Hormone Antagonists Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists Physiological Effects of Drugs Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A Inhibitors Anti-Infective Agents, Local Anti-Bacterial Agents |