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Study identifier: NCT05550194 Synced from ClinicalTrials.gov · July 28, 2026
● Recruiting

VZV in the Enteric Nervous System: Pathogenesis and Consequences

Condition: Achalasia  ·  Sponsor: Vanderbilt University Medical Center

PhasePhase 4
Planned participants40
Who can joinAll sexes, 18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteersNo

About this study

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is the cause of chickenpox and shingles, but it also infects, becomes latent, and reactivates in nerve cells of the bowel to cause a gastrointestinal disorder ("enteric shingles"). The Investigators recently found that a chronic active VZV infection, a form of enteric shingles, is associated with achalasia, a severe disease in which the passage of food from esophagus to stomach is impaired. We now propose to eradicate VZV to determine whether its association with achalasia is causal, to identify the genetic basis behind VZV reactivation in the esophagus, and the relationship of mast cells to enteric shingles and abdominal pain.

This description comes directly from the study's public registry record.

Talk to the study team

Michael McGill, BS  ·  6153224643  ·  michael.g.mcgill@vumc.org

Amy Motley, BS  ·  6153226281  ·  amy.motley@vumc.org

Always discuss trial participation with your own doctor first.

Locations (1)

Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, Tennessee, United StatesRecruiting

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Source record: clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05550194