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Front Vet Sci 2021 20;8:645076. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Área de Parasitología del Departamento de Agroquímica y Medioambiente, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Alicante, Spain.

Cysticercosis is a parasitic infection caused by the metacestode larval stage (cysticercus) of . In humans, cysticercosis may infect the central nervous system and cause neurocysticercosis, which is responsible for over 50,000 deaths per year worldwide and is the major cause of preventable epilepsy cases, especially in low-income countries. Cysticercosis infection is endemic in many less developed countries where poor hygiene conditions and free-range pig management favor their transmission. Read More

Neurosurg Focus 2021 May;50(5):E24

3Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia.

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021 13;11:630583. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Departamento de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Tlalpan, Mexico.

Murine cysticercosis by is a model for human neurocysticercosis. Genetic and/or immune differences may underlie the higher susceptibility to infection in BALB/cAnN with respect to C57BL/6 mice. T regulatory cells (Tregs) could mediate the escape of from the host immunity. Read More

Epileptic Disord 2021 Apr 29. Epub 2021 Apr 29.

Department of Neurology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Il, USA.

Calcified neurocysticercosis has been associated with hippocampal atrophy (HA). However, the pathogenesis of this association is still elusive. This study assessed the role of epilepsy or interictal EEG abnormalities in the occurrence of HA in the Atahualpa Project cohort. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 Apr 27;15(4):e0009295. Epub 2021 Apr 27.

Infectious Diseases Laboratory Research-LID, Faculty of Science and Philosophy, Alberto Cazorla Talleri, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú.

Background: The parasite Taenia solium causes neurocysticercosis (NCC) in humans and is a common cause of adult-onset epilepsy in the developing world. Hippocampal atrophy, which occurs far from the cyst, is an emerging new complication of NCC. Evaluation of molecular pathways in brain regions close to and distant from the cyst could offer insight into this pathology. Read More

Neurol India 2021 Mar-Apr;69(2):385-391

Department of Neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Background: Solitary cysticercus granuloma (SCG) appearing as a single ring-enhancing lesion (SREL) is the most frequently encountered imaging finding in patients of neurocysticercosis (NCC) in India and during follow-up, most of SCGs resolve with or without calcifications. Recurrent SCG have been rarely reported.

Objectives: The aim of our study is to report the incidence of recurrent SCG in a cohort of patients with SCG and postulate the hypothesis. Read More

Cureus 2021 Mar 15;13(3):e13897. Epub 2021 Mar 15.

Internal Medicine/Infectious Disease, Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island, USA.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a common infection that is found worldwide but is often neglected in the United States (US). This case report aims to illustrate the presentation of the disease, provide information on this globally prevalent pathogen, and shed light on the diagnostic workup and treatment of the infection. We discuss the case of a 31-year-old male patient of Central American origin presenting with a new-onset seizure. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2021 Apr 17;21(1):359. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.

Background: The epidemiology of human cysticercosis and neurocysticercosis, caused by the larval stage of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium, is not well known in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Within a multicenter etiological and diagnostic study conducted by the NIDIAG consortium ("Better Diagnosis for Neglected Infections") and investigating several challenging syndromes, we consecutively evaluated from 2012 to 2015 all patients older than 5 years presenting with neurological disorders (neurology cohort) and with fever > 7 days (persistent fever cohort) at the rural hospital of Mosango, province of Kwilu, DRC. In both cohorts, etiological diagnosis relied on a systematic set of reference laboratory assays and on pre-established clinical case definitions. Read More

Rev Chilena Infectol 2020 Dec;37(6):690-693

Hospital Regional Lambayeque, Perú.

Backgound: Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the most common parasitosis of the central nervous system, and a very important cause of epilepsy.

Aim: To describe the clinical features of patients with NCC attending a high level hospital from Lambayeque during: 2016-2018.

Methods: The medical records of patients with NCC were reviewed, and their information was collected on a data sheet. Read More

Pathogens 2021 Mar 18;10(3). Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.

A high burden of epilepsy is observed in Africa where parasitological infections are endemic. In 2016, in an Onchocerciasis endemic area in the Logo health zone, in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a door-to-door study showed an epilepsy prevalence of 4.6%, and 50. Read More

Sci Rep 2021 Apr 1;11(1):7433. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, N. E. Region, Dibrugarh, Assam, 786001, India.

Neurocysticercosis is a significant cause of epilepsy in the tropics. The present cross-sectional survey was conducted in the socioeconomically backward tea garden community of Assam to gauge the prevalence of neurocysticercosis in patients with active epilepsy and to determine the associated risk factors. In a door to door survey, a total of 1028 individuals from every fifth household of the study Teagarden were enrolled to identify self-reported seizure cases, followed by a neurological examination to confirm the diagnosis of active epilepsy. Read More

Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 2021 Apr 2;14(4):e011688. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Department of Cardiology (M.J.S., T.v.d.B., S.M.B., R.J.d.W.), Amsterdam UMC, location AMC, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2021 Apr 9:1-16. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Department of Genomic Medicine and Environmental Toxicology, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico.

Introduction: Neurocysticercosis is caused by the localization of larvae in the central nervous system. The disease remains endemic in most countries of Latin America, Asia and Africa. While major improvements have been made in its diagnosis and treatment, uncertainties persist regarding the clinical implications and treatment of the inflammatory reaction associated with the disease. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 Mar 31;15(3):e0009193. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Department of Neurology, Center for Global Health, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.

Single brain enhancing lesions (SEL) are the most common presentation of neurocysticercosis (NCC) observed on neuroimaging in people presenting with epileptic seizures not only on the Indian sub-continent and in travelers returning from cysticercosis-endemic regions, but are also present in other parts of the world. The aim of this study, which consisted of a systematic review (CRD42019087665), a meta-analysis and an expert group consultation, was to reach consensus on the best anti-seizure medication and anti-inflammatory treatment for individuals with SEL NCC. Standard literature review methods were used. Read More

Acta Neurol Scand 2021 Mar 31. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Pediatric Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, India.

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2021 Mar 29. Epub 2021 Mar 29.

3Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.

Human trichinellosis can be diagnosed by a combination of medical history, clinical presentation, and laboratory findings, and through detection of anti-Trichinella IgG in the patient's sera. ELISA using excretory-secretory (E/S) antigens of Trichinella spiralis larvae is currently the most used assay to detect Trichinella spp. antibodies. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 Mar 23;15(3):e0009234. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Département de pathologie et microbiologie, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada.

Background: The multi-host taeniosis/cysticercosis disease system is associated with significant neurological morbidity, as well as economic burden, globally. We investigated whether lower cost behavioral interventions are sufficient for local elimination of human cysticercosis in Boulkiemdé, Sanguié, and Nayala provinces of Burkina Faso.

Methodology/principal Findings: Province-specific data on human behaviors (i. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 Mar 22;15(3):e0009303. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.

Racemose neurocysticercosis is an aggressive disease caused by the aberrant expansion of the cyst form of Taenia solium within the subarachnoid spaces of the human brain and spinal cord resulting in a mass effect and chronic inflammation. Although expansion is likely caused by the proliferation and growth of the parasite bladder wall, there is little direct evidence of the mechanisms that underlie these processes. Since the development and growth of cysts in related cestodes involves totipotential germinative cells, we hypothesized that the expansive growth of the racemose larvae is organized and maintained by germinative cells. Read More

Trop Parasitol 2020 Jul-Dec;10(2):158-162. Epub 2021 Jan 25.

Department of Neuro-Ophthalmology, Institute of Neurosciences, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Cysticercosis, an infection caused by the larval stage of tapeworm , is the most common parasitic disease of the human nervous system and the single most common cause of acquired epileptic seizures in the developing world. Here, we describe the stormy course of a 67-year-old female with neurocysticercosis (NCC) having a recurrent encephalitic presentation. She went through the most severe spectrum of this disease, namely NCC encephalitis and disseminated cysticercosis and had a classical starry sky brain in neuroimaging. Read More

Infect Dis Poverty 2021 Mar 20;10(1):34. Epub 2021 Mar 20.

Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway, Werribee, VIC, 3030, Australia.

Background: Neurocysticercosis caused by Taenia solium when the parasite lodges in the central nervous system, is an important cause of human seizures and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The parasite is prevalent in many regions of Uganda. Pigs are intermediate hosts for T. Read More

Curr Opin Infect Dis 2021 Jun;34(3):228-237

Section of Infectious Diseases, UT Health McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas, USA.

Purpose Of Review: Early diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) infections is crucial given high morbidity and mortality. Neuroimaging in CNS infections is widely used to aid in the diagnosis, treatment and to assess the response to antibiotic and neurosurgical interventions.

Recent Findings: The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines have clear recommendations for obtaining a computerized tomography of the head (CTH) prior to lumbar puncture (LP) in suspected meningitis. Read More

Cureus 2021 Feb 8;13(2):e13222. Epub 2021 Feb 8.

Infectious Diseases Consultants, San Antonio, USA.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) rarely presents as acute meningitis; however, when it does, it is not distinguishable clinically from other more common infectious etiologies. Here, we report a case of NCC presenting as acute meningitis, which also highlights the importance of brain MRI imaging rather than CT where possible, the need to include MRI of the spine in patients with the subarachnoid disease, and the limitations of NCC antigen detection assay in cerebrospinal fluid when used in ventriculoperitoneal shunt specimens. A prolonged course of albendazole, praziquantel, and corticosteroids led to the resolution of our patient's NCC. Read More

J Med Case Rep 2021 Mar 17;15(1):139. Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Department of Neurology, Bangur Institute of Neurosciences, IPGMER and SSKM Hospital, Kolkata, 700025, India.

Background: Neurocysticercosis is the most common parasitic infection of the central nervous system, brain being the most frequent site. Intramedullary location of cysticercus is a rarely described entity in literature. Widespread dissemination of cysticercus is also considered a rare occurrence, and only a handful of cases are documented, almost exclusively from tropical nations. Read More

Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2021 Apr 10;14:150-156. Epub 2021 Feb 10.

National Centre for Animal Health, Department of Livestock, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Serbithang, Bhutan.

The endangered Bengal tiger () is a keystone species playing an essential role in ecology as well as in the social and spiritual lives of the Himalayan people. The latest estimate of the Bengal tiger population in Bhutan accounts for 103 individuals. Infectious organisms, including zoonotic parasites causing high burden in human health, have received little attention as a cause of mortality in tigers. Read More

Epilepsia 2021 Apr 2;62(4):984-996. Epub 2021 Mar 2.

Research Unit for the Generation and Synthesis of Evidence in Health, San Ignacio de Loyola University, Lima, Peru.

Objective: This study was undertaken to perform an updated systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the pooled prevalence and incidence of epilepsy in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), describing trends over time, and exploring potential clinical and epidemiological factors explaining the heterogeneity in the region.

Methods: Observational studies assessing the incidence or prevalence of epilepsy in LAC countries up to March 2020 were systematically reviewed according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Meta-analyses and cumulative analyses were performed using random-effects models. Read More

Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol 2021 Feb 21. Epub 2021 Feb 21.

Department of Internal Medicine; Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, USA.

Background: Neurocysticercosis is a growing public health problem in the United States. Albendazole is a mainstay of medical therapy for neurocysticercosis, and here we present a case of hypersensitivity to albendazole leading to life-threatening disease progression.

Objective: To report the first successful albendazole desensitization protocol. Read More

Seizure 2021 Feb 18. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, City University of New York, 55 West 125(th) Street, New York, NY, 10027, USA; Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10027, USA. Electronic address:

Epilepsy and neurocysticercosis are common neurological disorders and are major public health issues that contribute to the world's burden of disease. Acute symptomatic seizures, the main clinical manifestation of parenchymal neurocysticercosis, are caused by the host brain immune-inflammatory process in response to the death or degenerative phase of the parasite. Seizures may recur over the course of several months while the local inflammatory activity lasts. Read More

Rev Esp Quimioter 2021 Apr 22;34(2):162-163. Epub 2021 Feb 22.

María José Ruíz Márquez. UGC de Análisis Clínicos. Área de Gestión Sanitaria Norte de Huelva. Spain.

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021 Feb 18;15(2):e0009104. Epub 2021 Feb 18.

Unidad Periférica de Neuroinflamación para el estudio de patologías neurológicas del Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en el Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, México, México.

The flatworm Taenia solium causes human and pig cysticercosis. When cysticerci are established in the human central nervous system, they cause neurocysticercosis, a potentially fatal disease. Neurocysticercosis is a persisting public health problem in rural regions of Mexico and other developing countries of Latin America, Asia, and Africa, where the infection is endemic. Read More

Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2021 Feb 15. Epub 2021 Feb 15.

Neurocysticercosis Clinic, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Ciudad de México CP 14269, México.

Background: In patients affected by neurocysticercosis (NCC), the extraparenchymal location of the parasites generates the most severe form of the disease. Due to the difficulty in its diagnosis and management, there are still many questions; in particular, the natural history of parasites at this location is not well known.

Methods: We included 21 patients with vesicular extraparenchymal NCC who had not received treatment for at least 18 months. Read More