Neurocysticercosis: Updates on Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Management

Abstract

Neurocysticercosis is now recognized as a common cause of neurologic disease in developing countries and the United States. The pathogenesis and clinical manifestations vary with the site of infection and accompanying host response. Inactive infection should be treated symptomatically. Active parenchymal infection results from an inflammatory reaction to the degenerating cysticercus and will also respond to symptomatic treatment. Controlled trials have not demonstrated a clinical benefit for antiparasitic drugs. Ventricular neurocysticercosis often causes obstructive hydrocephalus. Surgical intervention, especially cerebrospinal fluid diversion, is the key to management of hydrocephalus. Shunt failure may be less frequent when patients are treated with prednisone and/or antiparasitic drugs. Subarachnoid cysticercosis is associated with arachnoiditis. The arachnoiditis may result in meningitis, vasculitis with stroke, or hydrocephalus. Patients should be treated with corticosteroids, antiparasitic drugs, and shunting if hydrocephalus is present.

Seroprevalence of antibodies (IgG) to Taenia solium among pig rearers and associated risk factors in Jos metropolis, Nigeria

“…Furthermore, most of the pig farmers who participated in the study were women (64.8% versus 35.2%). These statistics agrees with those of earlier reports showing that close personal contact with or food preparation by women who are tapeworm carriers favours the transmission of the parasite [19].…”

“…Humans acquire cysticercosis/neurocysticercosis through feacal-oral contamination with T. solium eggs from tapeworm carriers [10,17,18]. However, autoinfection as a result of the entry of eggs into the stomach due to retroperistalsis or as a result of accidental ingestion of eggs from the host's own faeces due to contaminated hands is also possible [19,20]. Most worrying is the fact that people do not have to eat pork to become infected with cysticercosis.…”

Seroprevalence of Taenia solium infections in Croatian patients presenting with epilepsy

“…Although cysticercosis is endemic to Asia, Africa and Latin America (Willingham & Engels, 2006), it has been diagnosed more frequently in developed countries too (Schantz et al, 1998, White, 2000.…”

Cysticercosis of Soleus muscle presenting as isolated calf pain

“…The larvae penetrate the gut mucosa, enter the blood vessels and lymphatics, get distributed in the tissues all over the body and get located in brain, skin, heart, liver, lungs and muscles. 1 The larvae transforming to adult tapeworms shed proglottids into human feces that can contaminate the pig food supply. Eggs ingested by pigs develop into the larval stage, enter the bloodstream through the intestinal wall, lodge in various pig tissues, and form cysticercus cellulosae, which is the encysted larval form.…”