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PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022 May 26;16(5):e0010442. Epub 2022 May 26.

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

Background: Antigen tests for diagnosis and disease monitoring in some types of neurocysticercosis (NCC) are useful but access to testing has been limited by availability of proprietary reagents and/or kits.

Methods/principal Findings: Three previously identified IgM-secreting hybridomas whose IgM products demonstrated specificity to Taenia solium underwent variable heavy and light chain sequencing and isotype conversion to mouse IgG. Screening of these recombinantly expressed IgG anti-Ts hybridomas, identified one (TsG10) with the highest affinity to crude Taenia antigen. Read More

SAGE Open Med Case Rep 2022 20;10:2050313X221100396. Epub 2022 May 20.

Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Hospital, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India.

Patients with neurocysticercosis, a common infection of the central nervous system caused by , have been reported to develop neuropsychiatric complications. We report a unique case of recurrent psychosis caused by neurocysticercosis in a 37-year-old El Salvador immigrant woman and discuss the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of the complications. We reviewed published case reports of neurocysticercosis that presented with psychotic features and compared their diagnostic evaluation, the underlying pathophysiology of complications and treatment regimen with our case. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2022 May 23. Epub 2022 May 23.

The diagnosis of neurocysticercosis (NCC) is principally based on neuroimaging (magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography), instrumentation that is scarcely available in the rural regions where Taenia solium transmission, primarily occurs due to poor sanitation conditions. Immunological assays for antigen or antibody detection complement the neuroimaging approach. However, no field-applicable assays to diagnose viable NCC or to guide the referral of cases for neuroimaging or for appropriate management are available. Read More

J Fr Ophtalmol 2022 May 19. Epub 2022 May 19.

Service d'ophtalmologie, centre hospitalier universitaire de Cocody, université Félix-Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

PLoS Comput Biol 2022 May 19;18(5):e1010118. Epub 2022 May 19.

Center for Global Health Tumbes, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.

Introduction: The Taenia solium tapeworm is responsible for cysticercosis, a neglected tropical disease presenting as larvae in the body of a host following taenia egg ingestion. Neurocysticercosis (NCC), the name of the disease when it affects the human central nervous system, is a major cause of epilepsy in developing countries, and can also cause intracranial hypertension, hydrocephalus and death. Simulation models can help identify the most cost-effective interventions before their implementation. Read More

J Belg Soc Radiol 2022 29;106(1):31. Epub 2022 Apr 29.

Department of Radiology, University Hospital KU Leuven, BE.

We report a 29-year-old woman with acute supratentorial hydrocephalus due to intraventricular neurocysticercosis (NC). Aqueductal stenosis due to web formation and a free floating intraventricular cyst with scolex were pathognomonic and led to the diagnosis of NC. Worldwide, NC is the most important parasitic infection of the central nervous system but is very uncommon in non-endemic regions. Read More

Int J Neurosci 2022 May 14:1-12. Epub 2022 May 14.

Department of Biochemistry, Government Medical College and Hospital Sector 32, Chandigarh, India.

Background: Neurocysticercosis is a leading cause of acquired epilepsy. Calcified granulomas are known to cause seizure recurrence. Researchers have reported that vitamin D deficiency is associated with brain calcification and reduction in calcification occurs with vitamin D receptor agonist calcitriol through upregulation of SLC20A2. Read More

Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2022 May;65(Supplement):S164-S175

Department of Neuropathology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

Central nervous system (CNS) infections are among the most devastating diseases with high mortality and morbidity. In the pre-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) era, the occurrence of CNS infections was very infrequent. However, in the past four decades or so, with a global increase in the immunocompromised population, the incidence of opportunistic infections of the CNS has changed. Read More

World Neurosurg 2022 May 9. Epub 2022 May 9.

Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Background: Shunting is an established treatment for hydrocephalus, yet reports on shunt outcomes for non-bacterial infectious (NBI) hydrocephalus are limited. Furthermore, comparison of mechanisms and rates of failure for shunted NBI hydrocephalus versus more typical etiologies remains undetermined.

Methods: Patients who underwent shunting for hydrocephalus at two centers (1995-2020) were included. Read More

Neuroradiol J 2022 May 10:19714009221098372. Epub 2022 May 10.

Departmentof Pathology 80369IGMC, Shimla, India.

Objectives: Neurocysticercosis, the commonest neuro-parasite, sometimes presents as complex ring enhancing lesion causing diagnostic dilemma. We aim to establish radio-histo-morphological equivalents of early events in degeneration of the parasite to explain such imaging phenotypes.

Methods: We compared patterns of degeneration in 23 randomly selected complex NCC on MRI with histo-morphology in 30 cysts obtained from an unrelated post mortem brain. Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2022 Mar 7. Epub 2022 Mar 7.

Centro de Salud Global, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Herédia, Lima, Peru.

Perilesional edema, associated or not with neurological manifestations, is a well-characterized finding in cases of calcified neurocysticercosis. There are no previous reports of HIV-related calcified toxoplasmosis that mimics this presentation of neurocysticercosis. We report on five patients, four of them with new-onset neurological manifestations, who showed brain calcifications associated with perilesional edema. Read More

Epilepsy Behav 2022 Jun 25;131(Pt A):108668. Epub 2022 Apr 25.

Cysticercosis Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurológicas, Lima, Peru; Center for Global Health, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.

Background: Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a common cause of late-onset epilepsy worldwide, but there is still minimal information regarding its impact on a patient's quality of life. This study evaluated quality of life in a series of patients with epilepsy secondary to NCC using the QOLIE (Quality of Life in Epilepsy)-31 questionnaire.

Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 155 Peruvian patients between 16 and 70 years of age with epilepsy due to viable intraparenchymal NCC, who enrolled in two trials of anti-parasitic treatment during the period 2006-2011. Read More

J Trop Pediatr 2022 Apr;68(3)

Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh 249203, India.

Background: In newly diagnosed neurocysticercosis (NCC) with seizures, the choice of anti-seizure medication (ASM) seems to be arbitrary due to a lack of comparative studies. Although oxcarbazepine (OXC) is often considered efficacious for focal seizures in NCC, due to adverse effects, newer ASMs like levetiracetam (LCM) and lacosamide are also being explored.

Methods: This study was performed by case record review of children with newly diagnosed solitary viable parenchymal NCC aged 4-18years who received lacosamide and OXC at least for 12 weeks between August 2019 and April 2021, from a prospective registry of a tertiary care teaching hospital in north India. Read More

Radiol Case Rep 2022 Jun 4;17(6):1874-1880. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Cerebral sparganosis is a rare parasitic infection that can be difficult to diagnose due to similarities in clinical and imaging features with more common parasitic infections, such as neurocysticercosis, and other neurologic conditions. We present a case of a 61-year-old female with a verified case of cerebral sparganosis. We also review the current literature regarding the sparganosis infection process, imaging features, and unique therapeutic options. Read More

Neurology 2022 May 4;98(20):864. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2021 Nov-Dec;24(6):970-972. Epub 2020 Nov 7.

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

EMBO Rep 2022 05 31;23(5):e54096. Epub 2022 Mar 31.

Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, TUM School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich, Germany.

Immunoregulation of inflammatory, infection-triggered processes in the brain constitutes a central mechanism to control devastating disease manifestations such as epilepsy. Observational studies implicate the viability of Taenia solium cysts as key factor determining severity of neurocysticercosis (NCC), the most common cause of epilepsy, especially in children, in Sub-Saharan Africa. Viable, in contrast to decaying, cysts mostly remain clinically silent by yet unknown mechanisms, potentially involving Tregs in controlling inflammation. Read More

Cureus 2022 Feb 22;14(2):e22488. Epub 2022 Feb 22.

Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, USA.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is an infection of the central nervous system with cysts that most commonly results in seizures. In stable patients without recent symptoms, these seizures may be provoked by seizure threshold-lowering drugs such as cocaine. This case details a 38-year-old male with a past medical history of epilepsy presenting with seizures due to comorbid NCC and cocaine use. Read More

Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2022 04 25;22(4):285-291. Epub 2022 Mar 25.

Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, 710 Westwood Plaza, C109, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.

Purpose Of The Review: Neurocysticercosis (NCC) has been well recognized as a leading cause of epilepsy. More recently, studies of other parasitic diseases such as cerebral malaria (CM) and onchocerciasis are yielding novel insights into the pathogenesis of parasite-associated epilepsy. We compare the clinical and electrophysiological findings in epilepsy associated with these highly prevalent parasites and discuss the mechanisms involved in epileptogenesis. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2022 03 14;15(3). Epub 2022 Mar 14.

Radiodiagnosis, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India

Am J Case Rep 2022 Mar 14;23:e935483. Epub 2022 Mar 14.

Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.

BACKGROUND Neurocysticercosis is the most common central nervous system infection in developing countries. A wide array of clinical manifestations, ranging from asymptomatic to severe neurological symptoms, is observed in patients diagnosed with neurocysticercosis, depending on the number of lesions, cyst location, cyst stage, parasite genotype, and host immunity. CASE REPORT We report the case of a 25-year-old Burmese man who presented with focal seizure and secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Read More

Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2022;55:e0560. Epub 2022 Feb 25.

Hospital São Lucas, Medicina Diagnóstica, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil.

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2022 Feb 28. Epub 2022 Feb 28.

National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.

Tropical diseases cause significant morbidity among the world's poorest populations. Although more common in low- and middle-income countries, tropical diseases are also found among underserved populations living in high-income countries such as the United States. The National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the Harris Health System founded a tropical medicine clinic-the Harris Health Tropical Medicine Clinic (HHTMC)-in Houston in 2011 in response to tropical disease-related morbidity in Texas. Read More

J Child Neurol 2022 04 25;37(5):366-372. Epub 2022 Feb 25.

Department of Pediatrics, 29751Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.

Aim: To compare the efficacy of combined albendazole and praziquantel therapy vs albendazole monotherapy in a placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized trial in children with persisting neurocysticercosis.

Methods: Children with persistent neurocysticercosis were randomized into 3 groups-albendazole (n = 19), albendazole and praziquantel (n = 21), and placebo (n = 20)-for 30 days and followed up at 3 and 6 months for resolution and recurrence of seizures.

Results: Mean age of children was 9. Read More

BMC Neurol 2022 Feb 22;22(1):63. Epub 2022 Feb 22.

Department of Neurosurgery, China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Background: Neurocysticercosis is a neuroinfectious disease caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Taenia solium. Isolated spinal cysticercosis is rare, with limited cases having been reported in the literature. This entity poses great diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Read More

Int J Parasitol 2022 05 17;52(6):377-383. Epub 2022 Feb 17.

Laboratory of Immunopathology in Neurocysticercosis, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Avenida Honorio Delgado 430, Urb. Ingenieria, SMP. Lima 31, Peru.

Racemose neurocysticercosis is an aggressive infection 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 the displacement of the surrounding host tissue and chronic inflammation. We previously demonstrated that the continued growth of the racemose bladder wall is associated with the presence of mitotically active cells but the nature and control of these proliferative cells are not well understood. Here, we demonstrated by immunofluorescence that the racemose cyst has an active mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signalling pathway that is inhibited after treatment with metformin, which reduces racemose cell proliferation in vitro, and reduces parasite growth in the murine model of Taenia crassiceps cysticercosis. Read More

Front Neurol 2021 27;12:769356. Epub 2022 Jan 27.

Graduate Program in Medicine: Medical Sciences, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Background: Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a parasitic infection of the central nervous system that has been associated with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS). However, this association has not been completely established.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of calcified NCC (cNCC), its characteristics and a possible association between cNCC and MTLE-HS in a cohort of 731 patients with epilepsy. Read More

Infez Med 2021 10;29(4):513-525. Epub 2021 Dec 10.

Neuroimaging Department, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA.

Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have suffered from long-term health system deficiencies, worsened by poor living conditions, lack of sanitation, a restricted access to health facilities and running water, overcrowding, and overpopulation. These factors favor human displacement and deepen marginalization; consequently, their population endures a high burden of infectious diseases. In this context, the current epidemiological landscape and its impact on health and economic development are not promissory, despite the commitment by the international community to eradicate neglected tropical infections - especially tuberculosis and malaria, by 2030. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2022 Feb 9;15(2). Epub 2022 Feb 9.

Neuroradiology Unit - Medical Imaging Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitario de Coimbra EPE, Coimbra, Portugal.

Clin Infect Dis 2022 Feb 2. Epub 2022 Feb 2.

Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD.

In a cohort of mostly Central American immigrants with confirmed neurocysticercosis (NCC), 3.1% were confirmed positive for Chagas disease (CD). The majority were diagnosed with NCC before age 50. Read More