Trachoma Therapy with Topical Tetracycline and Oral Erythromycin: a Comparative Trial

Overview

Journal Bull World Health Organ

Specialty Public Health

Date 1982 Jan 1

PMID 6754118

Citations 8

Authors

C R DAWSON

T DAGHFOUS

I HOSHIWARA

K Ramdhane

M Kamoun

C Yoneda

J Schachter

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Because topical antibiotic treatment has had a limited effect in previous controlled trials against trachoma, treatment with oral erythromycin was compared with topical tetracycline in 6-8-year-old children in southern Tunisia who had potentially blinding active trachoma. A total of 169 children were divided into two groups that were carefully matched for age, sex, locality, and intensity of disease. Oral erythromycin ethyl succinate in a paediatric dosage form was administered to one group and topical 1% tetracycline ointment to the other group, twice daily, six days a week for three weeks. The two treatments were equivalent in effectiveness and resulted in a substantial decrease in disease intensity and a marked reduction in chlamydial infection detected in conjunctival smears. To maintain blood levels of antibiotics known to be effective in the treatment of chlamydial infections with a dosage schedule possible in a trachoma control programme, one of the long-acting tetracyclines (doxycycline or minocycline) might be considered. Such systemic chemotherapy should be limited to selective treatment of individuals who can be adequately monitored.

Citing Articles

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Evans J, Solomon A, Kumar R, Perez A, Singh B, Srivastava R Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019; 9:CD001860.

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Ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection: elimination with mass drug administration.

Wolle M, West S Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2019; 17(3):189-200.

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Coverage of azithromycin mass treatment for trachoma elimination in Northwestern Ethiopia: a community based cross-sectional study.

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Efficacy and safety of short duration azithromycin eye drops versus azithromycin single oral dose for the treatment of trachoma in children: a randomised, controlled, double-masked clinical trial.

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Diagnosis and assessment of trachoma.

Solomon A, Peeling R, Foster A, Mabey D Clin Microbiol Rev. 2004; 17(4):982-1011, table of contents.

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