The performance of a point-of-care test for the diagnosis of Neurocysticercosis in a resource-poor community setting in Zambia - a diagnostic accuracy study.

Background: Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the main cause of epilepsy in endemic rural communities. NCC diagnosis is difficult due to unavailability and unaffordability of serologic assays and neuroimaging. This study aimed to assess the performance of a cheap, novel lateral-flow point-of-care (TS POC) test for the diagnosis of NCC in a community setting.

Evaluation of a point-of-care test for the diagnosis of Taenia solium neurocysticercosis in rural southern Tanzania: a diagnostic accuracy study.

Background: Neurocysticercosis is a common cause of epilepsy in Taenia solium-endemic areas in sub-Saharan Africa but is often undiagnosed because of an absence of affordable diagnostic tools. This study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of a T solium cysticercosis antibody-detecting lateral-flow point-of-care assay (TS POC test) for the neuroimaging-based diagnosis of neurocysticercosis.

Methods: Patients with epileptic seizures or severe progressive headache were recruited consecutively from three hospitals in southern Tanzania.

Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Trichinellosis and Cysticercosis in Indigenous Pigs in Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam.

Trichinellosis and cysticercosis remain challenges to human health and animal productivity worldwide, especially in developing countries. While information on the occurrence of both diseases is infrequent, they are endemic in parts of Vietnam and mainly related to indigenous pigs kept by ethnic minorities. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of both diseases in indigenous pigs and explore the perception and awareness of both human and pig trichinellosis and cysticercosis of pig farmers.

Prevalence of Epilepsy, Human Cysticercosis, and Porcine Cysticercosis in Western Kenya.

Cysticercosis is the leading cause of acquired epilepsy worldwide and has been shown to be highly prevalent in pig populations in western Kenya. We conducted a community-based door-to-door survey in a region of western Kenya with a high proportion of pig-keeping households. Persons with epilepsy (PWE) were determined using a screening questionnaire followed by a neurologist evaluation.

Challenges Encountered When Evaluating an Antibody-Detecting Point-of-Care Test for Taeniosis in an Endemic Community in Zambia: A Prospective Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

taeniosis diagnosis is challenging because current tests perform sub-optimally and/or are expensive, require sophisticated equipment, infrastructure and trained manpower, and therefore are not community deployable. A recently-developed, multi-strip, point-of-care test (TS POC) for simultaneous detection of tapeworm (TS POC T) and cysticercus (TS POC CC) human antibodies was evaluated for diagnostic accuracy on consecutively recruited community participants in Sinda district, Zambia. All participants were tested using the TS POC test.

Taenia solium cysticercosis and taeniasis in urban settings: Epidemiological evidence from a health-center based study among people with epilepsy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

In Africa, urbanization is happening faster than ever before which results in new implications for transmission of infectious diseases. For the zoonotic parasite Taenia solium, a major cause of acquired epilepsy in endemic countries, the prevalence in urban settings is unknown. The present study investigated epidemiological, neurological, and radiological characteristics of T.

Feasibility of a point-of-care test based on quantum dots with a mobile phone reader for detection of antibody responses.

We developed a novel and portable fluorescent sensor that integrates a lateral flow assay with a quantum dot (Qdots) label and a mobile phone reader for detection of specific antibodies in human serum. We evaluated the utility of this assay to test for antibodies to the Taenia solium rT24H antigen. It was a retrospective study by examining 112 positive human sera from patients with neurocysticercosis (NCC) including samples from patients with single viable cyst (n = 18), two or more viable cysts (n = 71), and subarachnoid (racemose) cysts (n = 23).

Lack of evidence for Toxocara infection in Italian myelitis patients.

Acute myelitis is a common neurological manifestation due to different causes, but in about 15-30% of cases its etiology remains unknown (idiopathic myelitis). Myelitis represents the most common manifestation of neurotoxocariasis, the infection of the human nervous system by larvae of the nematode Toxocara spp.; however, despite the high seroprevalence worldwide, its contribution to the burden of disease has not been assessed.

Laboratory Diagnosis of Neurocysticercosis (Taenia solium).

Neurocysticercosis accounts for approximately 30% of all epilepsy cases in most developing countries. The immunodiagnosis of cysticercosis is complex and strongly influenced by the course of infection, the disease burden, the cyst location, and the immune response of the host. The main approach to immunodiagnosis should thus be to evaluate whether the serological results are consistent with the diagnosis suggested by imaging.

Evaluating the Recombinant T24H Enzyme-Linked Immunoelectrotransfer Blot Assay for the Diagnosis of Neurocysticercosis in a Panel of Samples from a Large Community-Based Randomized Control Trial in 60 Villages in Burkina Faso.

Current guidelines for the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis (NCC) recommend the use of the lentil lectin-bound glycoprotein enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot assay (LLGP-EITB) as the reference standard for serological testing. In response to the drawbacks involved with the use of the LLGP-EITB, a recombinant T24H antigen (rT24H) EITB assay was developed, with promising results. However, the test has yet to be evaluated among individuals from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Angiostrongylus cantonensis Eosinophilic Meningitis in an Infant, Tennessee, USA.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is the most common infectious cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis worldwide. This parasite is endemic to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, and its global distribution is increasing. We report A.

Identifying wildlife reservoirs of neglected taeniid tapeworms: Non-invasive diagnosis of endemic Taenia serialis infection in a wild primate population.

Despite the global distribution and public health consequences of Taenia tapeworms, the life cycles of taeniids infecting wildlife hosts remain largely undescribed. The larval stage of Taenia serialis commonly parasitizes rodents and lagomorphs, but has been reported in a wide range of hosts that includes geladas (Theropithecus gelada), primates endemic to Ethiopia. Geladas exhibit protuberant larval cysts indicative of advanced T.

Comparison of T24H-his, GST-T24H and GST-Ts8B2 recombinant antigens in western blot, ELISA and multiplex bead-based assay for diagnosis of neurocysticercosis.

Background: Currently, the reference standard assay for the serodiagnosis of neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the lentil lectin-bound glycoproteins/enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (LLGP-EITB). The main disadvantage of this technique is the complexity of obtaining and purifying the LLGP extract. This could be solved by replacement with highly specific recombinant antigens from Taenia solium.

Association between Taenia solium infection and HIV/AIDS in northern Tanzania: a matched cross sectional-study.

Background: The frequency of Taenia solium, a zoonotic helminth, is increasing in many countries of sub-Saharan Africa, where the prevalence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is also high. However, little is known about how these two infections interact. The aim of this study was to compare the proportion of HIV positive (+) and negative (-) individuals who are infected with Taenia solium (TSOL) and who present with clinical and neurological manifestations of cysticercosis (CC).

An Unusual Presentation of Neurocysticercosis: A Space-Occupying Lesion in the Fourth Ventricle Associated with Progressive Cognitive Decline.

We communicate a case of a middle-aged Brazilian patient with an unusual presentation of fourth ventricular neurocysticercosis: occurrence of two intraventricular cysts at different locations in the brain within 2 years and cognitive decline as the only neurological symptom. Neurocysticercosis was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging, serology, histology, and genetic analysis. Neurocysticercosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis in cases with atypical neurologic or psychiatric symptoms, atypical neuroimaging and travel history.

Taeniasis among Refugees Living on Thailand-Myanmar Border, 2012.

We tested refugee camp residents on the Thailand-Myanmar border for Taenia solium infection. Taeniasis prevalence was consistent with that for other disease-endemic regions, but seropositivity indicating T. solium taeniasis was rare.

Incidence, Remission and Mortality of Convulsive Epilepsy in Rural Northeast South Africa.

Background: Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions globally, estimated to constitute 0.75% of the global burden of disease, with the majority of this burden found in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). Few studies from LMICs, including much of sub-Saharan Africa, have described the incidence, remission or mortality rates due to epilepsy, which are needed to quantify the burden and inform policy.

Exposure to multiple parasites is associated with the prevalence of active convulsive epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Epilepsy is common in developing countries, and it is often associated with parasitic infections. We investigated the relationship between exposure to parasitic infections, particularly multiple infections and active convulsive epilepsy (ACE), in five sites across sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods And Findings: A case-control design that matched on age and location was used.

Recombinant protein- and synthetic peptide-based immunoblot test for diagnosis of neurocysticercosis.

One of the most well-characterized tests for diagnosing neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) assay developed at the CDC, which uses lentil lectin-bound glycoproteins (LLGP) extracted from Taenia solium cysticerci. Although the test is very reliable, the purification process for the LLGP antigens has been difficult to transfer to other laboratories because of the need for expensive equipment and technical expertise. To develop a simpler assay, we previously purified and cloned the diagnostic glycoproteins in the LLGP fraction.

Clinical features, proximate causes, and consequences of active convulsive epilepsy in Africa.

Purpose: Epilepsy is common in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), but the clinical features and consequences are poorly characterized. Most studies are hospital-based, and few studies have compared different ecological sites in SSA. We described active convulsive epilepsy (ACE) identified in cross-sectional community-based surveys in SSA, to understand the proximate causes, features, and consequences.

Epilepsy and cysticercosis in Northwest Cameroon: a serological study.

Purpose: The prevalence of epilepsy in Cameroon is higher than that of the industrialized world and other developing countries. Neurocysticercosis due to Taenia solium infestation has been reported as a major cause of epilepsy in some parts of Cameroon although there are some conflicting data. The prevalence of epilepsy is especially high in the Momo division of the North-West Province of Cameroon.

Seroprevalence of antibodies against Taenia solium cysticerci among refugees resettled in United States.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a disease caused by central nervous system infection by the larval stage of the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium. In developing countries, NCC is a leading cause of adult-onset epilepsy. Case reports of NCC are increasing among refugees resettled to the United States and other nations, but the underlying prevalence among refugee groups is unknown.

Taenia solium Tapeworm Infection, Oregon, 2006-2009.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a parasitic infection of the central nervous system caused by Taenia solium larval cysts. Its epidemiology in cysticercosis-nonendemic regions is poorly understood, and the role of public health institutions is unclear. To determine the incidence of NCC and to pilot screening of household contacts for tapeworms, we conducted population-based active surveillance in Oregon.