PURPOSE: Trachoma remains the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends mass antibiotic distributions in its strategy to eliminate blinding trachoma. To determine the most effective antibiotic treatment strategy, it is essential to have a diagnostic test that can correctly measure the true status of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection in individuals, particularly after treatment. A newer ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA)-based amplification test was compared with the current DNA-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of C. trachomatis. METHODS: An rRNA-based assay and PCR were performed on swab specimens taken from the right upper tarsal conjunctiva of 240 children aged 1 to 5 years living among 16 endemic villages in the Gurage Zone, Ethiopia. RESULTS: The rRNA-based test detected ocular C. trachomatis infection in 142 (59%) subjects compared with 67 (28%) detected by PCR (McNemar's test, P < 0.0001). The rRNA-based test gave positive results for all subjects who were positive by PCR and detected infection in 75 (31%) additional subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The rRNA-based test appears to have significantly greater sensitivity than PCR for the detection of ocular C. trachomatis infection in children in trachoma-endemic villages. The increased sensitivity of the rRNA-based test may be due to its ability to detect low levels of C. trachomatis infection in individuals, which can occur especially after antibiotic treatment. Data from past studies in which PCR was used to assess the prevalence of infectious trachoma after community-wide antibiotic treatments could have underestimated the true prevalence of infection.
PURPOSE:Trachoma remains the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends mass antibiotic distributions in its strategy to eliminate blinding trachoma. To determine the most effective antibiotic treatment strategy, it is essential to have a diagnostic test that can correctly measure the true status of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection in individuals, particularly after treatment. A newer ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA)-based amplification test was compared with the current DNA-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of C. trachomatis. METHODS: An rRNA-based assay and PCR were performed on swab specimens taken from the right upper tarsal conjunctiva of 240 children aged 1 to 5 years living among 16 endemic villages in the Gurage Zone, Ethiopia. RESULTS: The rRNA-based test detected ocular C. trachomatis infection in 142 (59%) subjects compared with 67 (28%) detected by PCR (McNemar's test, P < 0.0001). The rRNA-based test gave positive results for all subjects who were positive by PCR and detected infection in 75 (31%) additional subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The rRNA-based test appears to have significantly greater sensitivity than PCR for the detection of ocular C. trachomatis infection in children in trachoma-endemic villages. The increased sensitivity of the rRNA-based test may be due to its ability to detect low levels of C. trachomatis infection in individuals, which can occur especially after antibiotic treatment. Data from past studies in which PCR was used to assess the prevalence of infectious trachoma after community-wide antibiotic treatments could have underestimated the true prevalence of infection.
Authors: Laura Dize; Sheila West; James A Williams; Barbara Van Der Pol; Thomas C Quinn; Charlotte A Gaydos Journal: J Clin Microbiol Date: 2013-03-13 Impact factor: 5.948
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Authors: Jeremy D Keenan; Craig W See; Jeanne Moncada; Berhan Ayele; Teshome Gebre; Nicole E Stoller; Charles E McCulloch; Travis C Porco; Bruce D Gaynor; Paul M Emerson; Julius Schachter; Thomas M Lietman Journal: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci Date: 2012-01-25 Impact factor: 4.799
Authors: Jeremy D Keenan; Berhan Ayele; Teshome Gebre; Jeanne Moncada; Nicole E Stoller; Zhaoxia Zhou; Travis C Porco; Charles E McCulloch; Bruce D Gaynor; Paul M Emerson; Julius Schachter; Thomas M Lietman Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2011-11-17 Impact factor: 9.079
Authors: Emily Robinson; Lucia W Kur; Aggrey Ndyaba; Mounir Lado; Juma Shafi; Emmanuel Kabare; R Scott McClelland; Jan H Kolaczinski Journal: PLoS One Date: 2010-10-01 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Alexander Jenson; Laura Dize; Harran Mkocha; Beatriz Munoz; Jennifer Lee; Charlotte Gaydos; Thomas Quinn; Sheila K West Journal: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Date: 2013-07-04