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It is spread worldwide but highly prevalent in North Africa, Middle East and certain
Regions of south-East Asia.
DEFINITION
Trachoma is a chronic keratoconjunctivitis, primarily affecting the superficial
epithelium of conjunctiva and cornea simultanously.
It is characterised by a mixed follicular and papillary response of conjunctivitis
EPIDEMOLOGICAL TRIAD
AGENT
HOST ENVIRONMENT
AGENT:- CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS
HOST :-
RACE:- Very common in Jews and comparatively less common among Negroes.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR
CLIMATE :- Dry and Dust Weather
INCUBATION PERIOD
(Time between becoming infected and developing symptoms)
Between 5 to 10 days , but most episodes of infection are reinfection and usually occur in
children who already have the disease.
Trichiasis usually takes many years to develop.
INFECTIOUS PERIOD
(Time during which an infected person can infect others)
Between 2 to 3 months, Trachoma is very infectious in its early stage and may be infectious on
and off as long as active infection persists.
MODES OF INFECTION
DIRECT SPREAD
VECTOR TRANSMISSION
Through flies
MATERIAL TRANSFER
CLINICAL FEATURES:
Signs and Symptoms of trachoma usually affect both eyes and may include:
Young children are particularly susceptible to infection. But the disease progresses slowly, and
the more painful symptoms may not emerge until adulthood.
EYELID SCARRING:- Reapeted infections lead to scarring of the inner eyelid. The
scars often appear as white lines when examined with magnification. Eyelid may become
distorted and may turn in (entropin).
LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS
Conjunctival Cytology.
Detection of inclusion bodies
Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for chlamydial antigens.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is also useful.
Giemsa iodine microscopy to detect incusions
Nucleic acid Amplification to detect DNA\RNA.
Fluoroscein microscopy to detect antigen.
Serology to test the human antichamydial antibody.
CONCLUSION
Trachoma is a very serious disease but it is yet to have a true care. Millions of people
around the world are blind because of Trachoma and nothing exists to fix their vision.
Although Trachoma is not fatal it is still serious problem that needs equally serious
attention.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
NEELAM KUMARI “A TEXT BOOK OF COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING -1”,
PV PUBLISHERS, PAGE NO-195,196.
SHYAMALA DMANIVANAN “TEXT BOOK OF COMMUNITY HEALTH
NURSING-1 FOR B.SC NURSING”,
CBS PUBLISHERS, PAGE NO-322, 323
JONES BR. THE PREVENTION OF BLINDNESS FROM TRACHOMA. TRANS
OPTHALMOL SOC U.K 1975, APR;95(1):16-33