Recruiting
Phase 1

Ketoconazole & Desonide

Sponsor:

UCLA

Code:

NCT03437005

Conditions

Healthy

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Desonide 0.05%

Ketoconazole 2%

Study Details

Brief summary:

The global aim of this study is to investigate how the human microbiome changes from baseline with commonly used topical medications such as topical antifungals, low to mid potency topical steroids and emollients.

The specific aims are as follows:

1. Investigate whether ketoconazole cream, a commonly used topical antifungal, causes alterations in the human skin microbiome with short-term use.
2. Investigate whether desonide 0.05 % ointment, a commonly used low potency topical steroid, alters the human microbiome with short-term use.

Conditions

Healthy

Study ID

NCT03437005

Start date

Jan 28, 2013

Status verified date

Feb, 2026

Completion date

Sep 28, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Sep 28, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

The inclusion criteria:

• Adults at least 18 years of age.

The exclusion criteria:

  • Individuals with known chronically active skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, other autoimmune and inflammatory skin conditions.

  • Patients with a history of skin cancer, multiple nevi, or other isolated lesions will not be excluded.
  • Individuals who have used topical, intravenous, intramuscular, or oral antibiotics within the last 6 months
  • Individuals with known allergies to any of the study medications.
  • Individuals younger than 18 years of age.
  • Adults unable to consent
  • Non-English speaking individuals. Given the complexity in the instructions that subjects will need to follow for proper sample collection, we will not seek to recruit non-English speaking individuals for this pilot study.
  • Prisoners

Study Design

Enrollment

24 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Desonide 0.05%

Low potency steroid topical medication applied to specific locations on the face and extremities, twice daily for two weeks

experimental: Ketoconazole 2%

Antifungal topical medication applied to specific locations on the face and extremities, twice daily for two weeks

Interventions

Desonide 0.05%

Desonide 0.05% ointment topically twice daily for two weeks

Ketoconazole 2%

Ketoconazole 2% cream topically twice daily for two weeks

Primary outcome measure

  • Number of bacteria per each species [ Time Frame: 2 weeks after initial dispensing ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Emanual Maverakis, MD

916-734-8254emaverakis@ucdavis.edu

Lauren Downing

916-551-2635ldowning@ucdavis.edu

Locations

University of California, Davis, Department of Dermatology

Recruiting

Sacramento, California, United States, 95816

Contacts

Emanual Maverakis, MD

916-734-8254emaverakis@ucdavis.edu

Lauren Downing

916-551-2635ldowning@ucdavis.edu

More Information

Sponsor

University of California, Davis

Last update posted

Feb 20, 2026

Last verified

Feb, 2026

Keywords

  • Human microbiome
  • Topical
  • Steroid
  • Anti-fungal

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of California, Davis on 2026-02-20.