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Definition of "trachoma" [tra•cho•ma]

  • A contagious disease of the conjunctiva and cornea, caused by the gram-negative bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and characterized by inflammation, hypertrophy, and formation of granules of adenoid tissue. It is a major cause of blindness in Asia and Africa. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "trachoma" in a sentence
  • "The resident nurse, a buxom elderly woman, said they had no real sickness; in summer, the children got a bit of conjunctivitis and diarrhea; oh, no, trachoma is very rare, and besides, we cure it; there's some chicken pox now."
  • "We've got the weapons to seriously reduce the burden of most of these diseases, including trachoma, which is the world's leading cause of blindness."
  • "However, it is unclear whether the stages of trichiasis and pannus were identified as trachoma complications."