Trachoma is a major cause of blindness in developing countries. Childhood infections and reinfections result in bilateral follicular conjunctivitis, epithelial keratitis, and corneal vascularization. Secondary bacterial infections are common, resulting in further complications. Treatment is with po tetracycline or erythromycin, both 250 mg 6 times daily for 3-5 weeks. Doxycycline 100 mg po bid for 3-5 weeks is also a common treatment.
Infection ranges from light and asymptomatic to heavy and life-threatening.
Initially there is malaise, nausea, cramping abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Gastrointestinal symptoms are followed in 1-6 weeks by fever, eosinophilia, periorbital and facial edema, conjunctivitis, dysphagia, dyspnea, cough, myalgia, and muscle spasms. Complications include meningitis and other neurological disorders, myocarditis, pneumonia, and nephritis. Trypanosomiasis is caused by protozoal parasites, Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiene or T b gambiense , transmitted by bite of the tsetse fly. The hemolymphatic stage is characterized by high fevers lasting several days, with symptom-free periods of days to weeks.