Association between ocular bacterial carriage and follicular trachoma following mass azithromycin distribution in The Gambia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Trachoma, caused by ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection, is the leading infectious cause of blindness, but its prevalence is now falling in many countries. As the prevalence falls, an increasing proportion of individuals with clinical signs of follicular trachoma (TF) is not infected with C. trachomatis. A recent study in Tanzania suggested that other bacteria may play a role in the persistence of these clinical signs.

Methodology/principal findings

We examined associations between clinical signs of TF and ocular colonization with four pathogens commonly found in the nasopharnyx, three years after the initiation of mass azithromycin distribution. Children aged 0 to 5 years were randomly selected from 16 Gambian communities. Both eyes of each child were examined

SUBMITTER: Burr SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3723595 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature