Agreement between novice and experienced trachoma graders improves after a single day of didactic training.

Background/aims: Prevalence estimates and treatment decisions for trachoma are based entirely on ocular clinical examination. The aim of the current study is to demonstrate that ophthalmic assistants can be trained and certified to provide trachoma grading within a single day.

Methods: Conjunctival photographs from an area with endemic trachoma were randomised into two sets of 60 cases.

The distribution of ocular Chlamydia prevalence across Tanzanian communities where trachoma is declining.

Background: Mathematical models predict an exponential distribution of infection prevalence across communities where a disease is disappearing. Trachoma control programs offer an opportunity to test this hypothesis, as the World Health Organization has targeted trachoma for elimination as a public health concern by the year 2020. Local programs may benefit if a single survey could reveal whether infection was headed towards elimination.

Reliability of trachoma clinical grading--assessing grading of marginal cases.

Background: Clinical examination of trachoma is used to justify intervention in trachoma-endemic regions. Currently, field graders are certified by determining their concordance with experienced graders using the kappa statistic. Unfortunately, trachoma grading can be highly variable and there are cases where even expert graders disagree (borderline/marginal cases).

Dendritic cell-derived thrombospondin-1 is critical for the generation of the ocular surface Th17 response to desiccating stress.

TSP-1 is a physiologic activator of TGF-β, a critical induction factor for Th17-mediated immunity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of TSP-1 in the induction of the Th17 ocular surface response to DS. TSP-1KO and WT mice were subjected to DS5 and DS10), and parameters of ocular surface disease, including corneal barrier function, conjunctival CD4(+) T cell infiltration, and GC density, were evaluated.