Serology, infection, and clinical trachoma as tools in prevalence surveys for re-emergence of trachoma in a formerly hyperendemic district.

ABSTRACT:

Background

To eliminate trachoma as a public health problem, countries must achieve a district-level prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) <5% in children ages 1-9 years. Re-emergence of TF could trigger additional rounds of mass drug/antibiotic administration (MDA), so accurate tools for use in surveys assessing trachoma prevalence are essential.

Methodology & principal findings

We surveyed 2401 children ages 1-9 years from 50 villages in Kongwa, Tanzania, 2 years post-MDA and 1.5 years after an impact survey found TF <5% in the same villages. Our survey included multiple tools: clinical determination of TF, Cepheid testing for Chlamydia trachomatis infection, and testing for anti-pgp3 antibodies via multiplex bead array. Photographs of the upper tarsal co

SUBMITTER: Odonkor M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8081338 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature