Treatment of scabies using a tea tree oil-based gel formulation in Australian Aboriginal children: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Jackson Thomas; Rachel Davey; Gregory M Peterson; Christine Carson; Shelley F Walton; Tim Spelman; Tom Calma; Pascale Dettwiller; Jacinta Tobin; Faye McMillan; Paul Collis; Mark Naunton; Sam Kosari; Julia K Christenson; Andrew Bartholomaeus; John McEwen; Peter Fitzpatrick; Kavya E Baby

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018507

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Treatment of scabies using a tea tree oil-based gel formulation in Australian Aboriginal children: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Journal article

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Treatment of scabies using a tea tree oil-based gel formulation in Australian Aboriginal children: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Jackson Thomas, Rachel Davey, Gregory M Peterson, Christine Carson, Shelley F Walton, Tim Spelman, Tom Calma, Pascale Dettwiller, Jacinta Tobin, Faye McMillan, …

BMJ Open, Vol.8(5), pp.1-10

2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018507

Appears in UniSC Diversity and Inclusion Research Collection

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Abstract

UniSC Diversity Area - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement

UniSC Diversity Area - Life Stages

Introduction In remote Aboriginal communities in Australia, scabies affects 7 out of 10 children before their first birthday. This is more than six times the rate seen in the rest of the developed world. Scabies infestation is frequently complicated by bacterial infection, leading to the development of skin sores and other more serious consequences, such as septicaemia and chronic heart and kidney diseases. Tea tree oil (TTO) has been used as an antimicrobial agent for several decades with proven clinical efficacy. Preclinical investigations have demonstrated superior scabicidal properties of TTO compared with widely used scabicidal agents, such as permethrin 5% cream and ivermectin. However, current data are insufficient to warrant a broad recommendation for its use for the management of scabies because previous studies were small or limited to in vitro observations. Methods and analysis A pragmatic first trial will examine the clinical efficacy of a simple and low-cost TTO treatment against paediatric scabies and the prevention of associated secondary bacterial infections, with 1:1 randomisation of 200 participants (Aboriginal children, aged 5-16 years and living in remote Australia) into active control (permethrin 5% cream) and treatment (5% TTO gel) groups. The primary outcome for the study is clinical cure (complete resolution). Secondary outcome measures will include relief of symptoms, recurrence rate, adverse effects, adherence to treatment regimen and patient acceptability. Ethics and dissemination The project has received approvals from the University of Canberra Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC 16-133), Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Service Indigenous subcommittee and the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory reference group. The results of this study will be published in core scientific publications, with extensive knowledge exchange activities with non-academic audiences throughout the duration of the project.

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Title: Treatment of scabies using a tea tree oil-based gel formulation in Australian Aboriginal children: protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Jackson Thomas (Author) - University of Canberra
Rachel Davey (Author) - University of Canberra
Gregory M Peterson (Author) - University of Tasmania
Christine Carson (Author) - The University of Western Australia
Shelley F Walton (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Tim Spelman (Author) - Burnet Institute
Tom Calma (Author) - University of Canberra
Pascale Dettwiller (Author) - Flinders University
Jacinta Tobin (Author) - Mackay Base Hospital
Faye McMillan (Author) - Charles Sturt University
Paul Collis (Author) - University of Canberra
Mark Naunton (Author) - University of Canberra
Sam Kosari (Author) - University of Canberra
Julia K Christenson (Author) - University of Canberra
Andrew Bartholomaeus (Author) - University of Canberra
John McEwen (Author) - University of Canberra
Peter Fitzpatrick (Author) - Wurli-Wurlinjang Health Service
Kavya E Baby (Author) - Canberra Hospital
Publication details: BMJ Open, Vol.8(5), pp.1-10
Publisher: B M J Group
Date published: 2018
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018507
ISSN: 2044-6055
Copyright note: Copyright © 2018 Article author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Organisation Unit: School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450776502621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Dermatology

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