AZITHROMYCIN IN CONTROL OF TRACHOMA

沙眼是世界上可预防失明的主要原因。 试点 研究发现，阿奇霉素，一种新的长效抗生素， 有效的治疗沙眼的长疗程局部抗生素。 这些结果表明，社区范围内的阿奇霉素治疗， 可能是控制沙眼的一种实用方法。 我们举办 计划项目，有4个研究项目，由4个核心支持， 多学科协作方法，总体目标是 确定社区范围内阿奇霉素治疗是否 有效控制致盲性沙眼。 埃及、冈比亚和坦桑尼亚的研究小组将在整个社区范围内比较 口服阿奇霉素治疗与目前的标准治疗相比， 局部四环素。 该项目的具体目标包括： 口服阿奇霉素治疗慢性乙型肝炎的疗效评价 临床活动性沙眼。 此外，我们还将确定 这种抗生素对衣原体感染和沙眼的发展， 地方性村庄 鼻携带在眼内异物中的可能作用 将确定再次感染。 基因分型的使用将使我们能够 确定沙眼衣原体的基因型分布， 那些村庄，然后研究菌株的分布， 将它们引入阿奇霉素治疗群体。 的 泪液中抗衣原体抗体的动力学和特异性将 在口服阿奇霉素治疗后以及再次感染时测定 发生在接下来的两年。 本研究将提供 与社区范围的治疗方法有关的信息，以及 粘膜免疫应答沙眼，但最重要的是， 该项目的成功结果意味着有效的沙眼控制， 可实现的。

Trachoma is the world's leading cause of preventable blindness. Pilot studies have found that azithromycin, a new long acting antibiotic was as effective as long courses of topical antibiotic in treating trachoma. These findings suggest that community wide treatment with azithromycin might be a practical method for trachoma control. We have organized a program project that has 4 research projects, supported by 4 cores, taking a multidisciplinary collaborative approach with the overall goal of determining whether community wide treatment with azithromycin is effective in the control of blinding trachoma. Research teams in Egypt, Gambia and Tanzania will compare community wide treatment with oral azithromycin to the current standard treatment, topical tetracycline. The specific aims of the project include an assessment of the efficacy of oral azithromycin on the treatment of clinically active trachoma. In addition, we will determine the effect of this antibiotic on chlamydial infection and developing trachoma in the endemic villages. The possible role of nasal carriage in ocular reinfection will be determined. The use of gene typing will allow us to determine the distribution of genotypes of Chlamydia trachomatis within the villages at outset and then to study the distribution of strains as they are introduced into the azithromycin-treated population. The kinetics and specificity of antichlamydial antibody in tears will be determined after treatment with oral azithromycin, and when reinfection occurs during the subsequent two years. This study will provide information relative to community wide treatment approaches, and on mucosal immune responses to C. trachomatis, but most important, a successful outcome to the project means that effective trachoma control is achievable.