Trachoma is the infection of which organ?

Appeared in: UPPSC 2017

Explanation

Trachoma is a chronic infectious disease that specifically affects the eye, primarily the conjunctiva and cornea.
It is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis (specifically serovars A, B, Ba, and C).
Repeated infections lead to scarring of the inner eyelid, causing the eyelashes to turn inward (trichiasis) and scratch the cornea, which can result in corneal opacity and irreversible blindness.

Option A: While Chlamydia trachomatis can infect the cervix, it causes a sexually transmitted infection (cervicitis), which is a different disease from trachoma.
Option B: Trachoma is an ocular disease and does not primarily infect the skin.
Option C: The similarity in name is coincidental. Trachoma has no pathological connection to the trachea (the windpipe).

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Infectious diseases and their primary site of infection helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Nurses are central to implementing the WHO-endorsed 'SAFE' strategy for trachoma control: Surgery for trichiasis, Antibiotics to treat infection, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement to reduce transmission.
As trachoma is the leading infectious cause of preventable blindness, early detection, health education, and community-based interventions are critical nursing responsibilities, especially in endemic areas.
What if? If a patient presents with conjunctivitis and also reports genital symptoms, the nurse should suspect a possible infection with oculogenital strains of C. trachomatis (serovars D-K). The approach would then require screening for STIs, treating the patient and their sexual partners, and reporting as per public health guidelines for STIs, in addition to managing the eye infection.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key term in the question: 'Trachoma'.
Access your knowledge base about this specific infectious disease. Recall that trachoma is a well-known cause of preventable blindness.
This immediately links the disease to the 'Eye'.
Evaluate the other options to confirm your choice. 'Trachea' is a sound-alike distractor. 'Cervix' is related to the same bacterium (Chlamydia trachomatis) but causes a different disease (an STI). 'Skin' is not the primary site.
Conclude that the eye is the only correct organ among the choices for the disease known as trachoma.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Medicine Harrison 22e Part 1 p. 1516-1518

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart B (pp 202-403 of 604) p. 172-174

E6 Pathology- ROBBINS & COTRAN PATHOLOGIC BASIS OF DISEASE 10TH Ed p. 388-390

Practise the full UPPSC 2017

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.