Revue internationale du trachome et de pathologie oculaire tropicale et subtropicale et de sante publique : organe de la Ligue contre le trachome avec la collaboration de l'International Organization against Trachoma et des organisation...最新文献

In order to diagnose the trachoma we observed the eyes of 506 students aged between 6 and 14 years. 14,03% of these children presented follicular or intense trachomatous inflammation of the eye. The use of molecular biology methods (PCR + RFLP) over the conjonctival samples we had collected, led us to the identification of 21 C. trachomatis strains: 11 of the A genotype and 10 of the B genotype.

The new vaccine against trachoma is established upon a stimulation of MALT system by oral route. The amount of IgA produced using chlamydia trachomatis serovar C is sufficient to allow a protection against infections of the same species of chlamydiae and/or of others varieties. There is a cross immunity between different serovars and different species. The vaccine could bring a protection against trachoma, chlamydial infection of human and animals.

The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological aspects and causes of unilateral blindness in the western Province of Cameroon. The results show that unilateral blindness affects all ages. This is in contrast with bilateral blindness where patients a affected are above 50 years of age. A male predominance is observed (Sex ratio: 1/13/1). The main causes of monocular. Blindness are cataract (34.8%), ocular trauma (27.7%), open angle glaucoma (22%), and corneal opacities (6.4%). The male predominance and the presence of many young patients in the sample can be explained by the high prevalence of ocular trauma in this study.

Dosage of tear IgE was performed in lacrimal fluid of 110 patients with chlamydioses (12 were trachomatous and 98 had a chlamydiosis serovar D through K). Simultaneously skinpatch testing and RASTS were evaluated. In half of cases, we found a rise of tear IgE. All these patients had documented allergy. We conclude that allergic treatment could be added.

The author reports the frequency and the main causes for children blindness found at the Department of Ophthalmology of the Befelatanana Hospital (Tananarive). The study covers 5 years (1988-1993). The main causes are: congenital diseases 59.38%: cataracts 68.42%, glaucomas 18.42% xerophthalmy 13.7% bilateral retinoblastoma 1.03% This study also shows the rarity of bacterian diseases 1.56% as a blindness cause.

The objective of this study was to confirm whether the combination of a health education programme with a mass treatment campaign was able to improve the effectiveness of trachoma control. An open controlled clinical trial with a 2 x 2 factorial design was carried out. Four villages, matched for size and epidemiological, economic and social conditions, were included in the study. The first village received mass treatment with 1% oxytetracycline eye drops combined with a specific health education programme. The second village received only a health education programme. The third village received only mass treatment and the fourth village did not receive any intervention during the study (control village). 1810 subjects were enrolled of whom 76% were successfully followed for 6 months. The incidence of new cases ranged between 1.6% and 14.2%. In this study the combination of a health education programme with mass treatment failed to increase the cure rate. There was even a negative interaction (P = 0.03). The best results were obtained in the village where antibiotic treatment was used alone, both in terms of cure rate (82%) and reduction of C trachomatis transmission. These results suggest that the addition of a health education programme does not systematically improve the performances of a mass treatment campaign. The efficacy of this combination depends essentially on the capacity of the community to modify its hygiene behaviour.