Histological and molecular biology diagnosis of neurocysticercosis in a patient without history of travel to endemic areas – Case report

Abstract

Background: in endemic areas, neurocysticercosis appears mainly as a single, large, spherical and non-enhancing intracranial cyst. Case presentation: an atypical case of neurocysticercosis (NCC) in a French Caucasian, without history of travel to endemic areas, was confirmed by histology and molecular speciation. Imaging was atypical, showing several hook-bearing scolices visible in the cyst, while the serology employed was non-contributary. Conclusions: NCC should be considered when multiple taeniid scolices are observed within the same cystic lesion.

Revised diagnostic criteria for neurocysticercosis

“…However, the multiplicity of crude and semi-purified antigens used in diverse assays in the absence of verification and standardization does not allow a general acceptance of its use [46]. Although some ELISAs using new antigens are reported in the literature, none of these assays is commercially available; on the contrary, published examples demonstrate how cross reactions in ELISA may lead to wrong diagnoses and worsen the patient's prognosis [47,48]. Therefore, at the present time antibody-detection by ELISA should not be included as a diagnostic criterion.…”

Caracterización Morfológica De Los Ganchos Rostelares De Metacestodos De Taenia Solium Linnaeus, 1758 (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea), Extraídos De Un Cerdo Naturalmente Infectado De Guatemala

“…must be performed by molecular techniques and sequencing, morphological analysis can provide a quick identification guide for the genus Taenia when necropsies are performed in backyard/freeroaming pigs from rural communities. Histological examination for identification of hooks in small cysts with light microscopy is also recommended (L'Ollivier et al, 2012). There is limited literature with morphological descriptions of T. hydatigena rostellar hooks from swine.…”

Pathogenesis ofTaenia soliumtaeniasis and cysticercosis

“…Due to the lack of a suitable animal model or histological specimens (biopsies or surgical specimens are only taken from lesions suspected to have a neoplastic origin, those with marked contrast enhancement or oedema) , information on the histological reaction around viable brain NCC cysts is restricted to necropsy studies where most cases were asymptomatic and only found during autopsy. Despite minimal evidence of perilesional inflammation, focal damage including reactive astrogliosis can be already found around well preserved, apparently viable brain cysts .…”