Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32171768›Full record

Trial reportAmerican journal of ophthalmology2020

Frequency of Mass Azithromycin Distribution for Ocular Chlamydia in a Trachoma Endemic Region of Ethiopia: A Cluster Randomized Trial.

Thomas M Lietman, Berhan Ayele, Teshome Gebre, Mulat Zerihun, Zerihun Tadesse, Paul M Emerson, Scott D Nash, Travis C Porco, Jeremy D Keenan, Catherine E Oldenburg

Open access · hybridAbstract readComparative StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in American journal of ophthalmology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Targeted Mass Azithromycin Distribution for Trachoma: A Community-Randomized Trial (TANA II).Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2023
    Trial
  2. When the Neighboring Village is Not Treated: Role of Geographic Proximity to Communities Not Receiving Mass Antibiotics for Trachoma.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2023
    Trial
  3. Trachoma.Lancet (London, England) · 2025
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Trachoma Control: A Glass Half Full?The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023
    Article
  7. Trachoma.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2022
    Review
  8. Neglected tropical disease control in a world with COVID-19: an opportunity and a necessity for innovation.Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · 2021
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Thomas M LietmanFrancis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA. Electronic address: tom.lietman@ucsf.edu.
Berhan AyeleThe Carter Center Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Teshome GebreInternational Trachoma Initiative, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mulat ZerihunThe Carter Center Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Zerihun TadesseThe Carter Center Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Paul M EmersonInternational Trachoma Initiative, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Scott D NashThe Carter Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Travis C PorcoFrancis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Jeremy D KeenanFrancis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Catherine E OldenburgFrancis I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
San Francisco Foundation · USThe Carter Center · ETCarter Center · USInternational Trachoma Initiative · ETInternational Trachoma Initiative · USUniversity of California, San Francisco · US

Funding

TANA IIU10EY016214 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI LIETMAN, THOMAS M · 2004 to 2013
$4.4M
The Brown Initiative in HIV and AIDS Clinical Research for Minority CommunitiesR25MH083620 · NIMH · MIRIAM HOSPITAL · PI NUNN, AMY STEWART · 2008 to 2025
$3.7M
NEI NIH HHS U10 EY016214NIMH NIH HHS R25 MH083620
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeAnnual mass azithromycin distribution significantly reduces the prevalence of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis, the causative organism of trachoma. However, in some areas a decade or more of treatment has not controlled infection. Here, we compared multiple treatment arms from a community-randomized trial to evaluate whether increasing frequency of azithromycin distribution decreases prevalence in the short term.

methodsSeventy-two communities in Goncha Siso Enesie woreda in the Amhara region of Northern Ethiopia were randomized to 1 of 6 azithromycin distribution strategies: (1) delayed, (2) annual, (3) biannual, (4) quarterly to children only, (5) biennial, or (6) biennial plus latrine promotion. We analyzed data from the 60 communities in the delayed, annual, biannual, quarterly, and biennial distribution arms at the 12-month study visit. Communities in the annual and biennial distribution arm were combined, as they each had a single distribution before any 12-month retreatment. We assessed the effect of increased frequency of azithromycin distribution on ocular chlamydia prevalence.

resultsOcular chlamydia prevalence was significantly different across azithromycin distribution frequency in children (P < .0001) and adults (P < .0001), with lower prevalence associated with higher frequency. Among children, quarterly azithromycin distribution led to a significantly greater reduction in ocular chlamydia prevalence than the World Health Organization-recommended annual treatment prevalence (mean difference -11.4%, 95% confidence interval -19.5 to -3.3%, P = .007).

conclusionsIncreased frequency of azithromycin distribution leads to decreased ocular chlamydia prevalence over a short-term period. In some regions with high levels of ocular chlamydia prevalence, additional azithromycin distributions may help achieve local elimination of infection.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsAzithromycinChildChild, PreschoolChlamydia trachomatisCluster AnalysisEndemic DiseasesEthiopiaEye Infections, BacterialFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMalePrevalenceTrachomaAnti-Bacterial AgentsAzithromycin

Identifiers

PMID32171768
PMCPMC9982657
OpenAlexW3012066003

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.