Article
Infectious Diseases
Roberto Rodriguez-Rivas, Ana Flisser, Luiz Fernando Norcia, Pedro Tadao Hamamoto Filho, D. Katterine Bonilla-Aldana, Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales, Arturo Carpio, Matthew L. Romo, Agnes Fleury
Summary: The study assessed the trends in hospitalization rates and mortality of neurocysticercosis in Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico. It found a decrease in hospitalization rates in Brazil, Ecuador, and Mexico, an increase in the age of patients with recent infections in Mexico, and an increase in hospitalization rates in Colombia.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Javier A. Bustos, Gianfranco Arroyo, Robert H. Gilman, Percy Soto-Becerra, Isidro Gonzales, Herbert Saavedra, E. Javier Pretell, Theodore E. Nash, Seth E. O'Neal, Oscar H. Del Brutto, Armando E. Gonzalez, Hector H. Garcia
Summary: This study found that approximately 38% of parenchymal cysts in patients with neurocysticercosis calcify after antiparasitic treatment, with factors such as cyst size, baseline edema, and duration of seizures associated with calcification. Some factors associated with calcification are modifiable and may help reduce the risk of seizure relapses.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Chiara Trevisan, Inge Damme, Bernard Ngowi, Veronika Schmidt, Dominik Stelzle, Karen Moller, Mwemezi Kabululu, Charles Makasi, Pascal Magnussen, Emmanuel Bottieau, Emmanuel Abatih, Maria Johansen, Helena Ngowi, Benedict Ndawi, Kabemba Mwape, Gideon Zulu, Pierre Dorny, Andrea Winkler, Sarah Gabriel
Summary: The study describes a two-stage trial design to evaluate a newly developed rapid point-of-care test for detecting taeniosis and neurocysticercosis in three district hospitals in Tanzania. Different testing protocols were developed for patients with specific neurological signs and symptoms, complaints compatible with intestinal worm infections, and other symptoms. The study used a Bayesian approach to determine test accuracy and a composite case definition as the reference standard for neurocysticercosis. If successful, the study will contribute to the future commercialization and implementation of the rapid test, improving patient management and disease prevention.
Article
Microbiology
L. Toribio, C. Guzman, S. Noazin, A. Zimic-Sheen, M. Zimic, I. Gonzales, H. Saavedra, E. J. Pretell, J. A. Bustos, S. Handali, H. H. Garcia
Summary: Neurocysticercosis is a common helminthic infection of the human central nervous system. We report a new immunoprint assay (MAPIA) that simplifies the detection process, reduces cost, and shows comparable accuracy and specificity to traditional methods.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Liz P. Z. Noguera, Duriya Charypkhan, Sonja Hartnack, Paul R. Torgerson, Simon R. Rueegg
Summary: This study aims to quantify the dual burden of zoonoses. The results show that rabies and echinococcosis are the most frequently reported zoonoses, and the animal burden exceeds the human burden.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Inge Van Damme, Chiara Trevisan, Kabemba E. Mwape, Veronika Schmidt, Pascal Magnussen, Gideon Zulu, Chishimba Mubanga, Dominik Stelzle, Emmanuel Bottieau, Emmanuel Abatih, Isaac K. Phiri, Maria Johansen, Chishala Chabala, Andrea S. Winkler, Pierre Dorny, Sarah Gabriel
Summary: This study describes the design, challenges, and rationale of a diagnostic accuracy study for Taenia solium in low-resource community settings in Zambia. The two-stage design aimed to increase efficiency by reducing the number of samples, clinical examinations, and CT scans, considering the difficulties of conducting clinical trials in limited research and neuroimaging infrastructure settings.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel A. Andrade-Mogrovejo, Eloy Gonzales-Gustavson, Ana C. Ho-Palma, Joaquin M. Prada, Gabrielle Bonnet, Francesco Pizzitutti, Luis A. Gomez-Puerta, Gianfranco Arroyo, Seth E. O'Neal, Hector H. Garcia, Javier Guitian, Armando Gonzalez
Summary: This study systematically reviewed and analyzed pig infection experiments to evaluate the accuracy of dose-response models for Taenia solium cyst development. The exact beta-Poisson model was found to be the best fit for the data, providing important parameters for future experimental infections and transmission simulation models.
Article
Clinical Neurology
J. Bustos, I Gonzales, H. Saavedra, S. Handali, H. H. Garcia
Summary: Neurocysticercosis is endemic in most parts of the world and accounts for approximately 30% of epilepsy cases in endemic areas. Proper diagnosis and management require understanding the diverse presentations of the disease, which vary in clinical manifestations, sensitivity of diagnostic tests, and therapeutic approaches. This review aims to familiarize tropical neurology practitioners with the different types of neurocysticercosis and appropriate management strategies for each.
JOURNAL OF THE NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Jie Hou, Weilin Chen, Rong Chen, Chunlei He, Ying Ma, Junyan Qu
Summary: This case study highlights the potential of Taenia saginata infection to cause human cysticercosis, challenging the current understanding that T. saginata exclusively causes taeniasis. Accurate genome-wide analysis in patients with T. saginata taeniasis associated with cysts is needed to confirm this conclusion.
Article
Parasitology
Akira Ito, Takahiko Yoshida, Toni Wandra, A. A. Raka Sudewi, Ni Made Susilawathi, Kadek Swastika, Ivan Elisabeth Purba, Tiaoying Li, Christine M. Budke
Summary: Cysticercosis cases caused by Taenia solium tapeworm infection have occurred sporadically in Kubu, Bali. Pigs from this area were found to be infected, while pigs from other parts of the island were not. The prevalence of taeniasis in Kubu in 2019 was 2.8%, similar to previous years. However, no cases of cysticercosis were identified in humans or pigs in 2019, indicating improvements in transmission prevention measures.
Review
Microbiology
Oscar H. Del Brutto
Summary: Human cysticercosis is the most common helminthic infection of the CNS caused by Taenia solium. Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the infection of the CNS and meninges by the larval stage of Taenia solium. It can cause various manifestations such as seizures, headache, focal deficits, intracranial hypertension, or cognitive decline. Accurate diagnosis can be made by interpreting clinical data, neuroimaging studies, and immunological tests. Cysticidal drugs have improved the prognosis of NCC patients. Controlling all stages of the T. solium life cycle is essential for eradicating the disease.
Article
Microbiology
Maria angeles Gomez-Morales, Patrizio Pezzotti, Alessandra Ludovisi, Belgees Boufana, Pierre Dorny, Titia Kortbeek, Joachim Blocher, Veronika Schmidt, Marco Amati, Sarah Gabriel, Edoardo Pozio, Andrea Sylvia Winkler
Summary: Laboratory tools for diagnosing taeniosis/cysticercosis in non-endemic countries were tested in inter-laboratory studies, showing that laboratory performance strongly affected test results.
Article
Parasitology
Erika Galipo, Matthew A. Dixon, Claudio Fronterre, Zulma M. Cucunuba, Maria-Gloria Basanez, Kim Stevens, Astrid Carolina Florez Sanchez, Martin Walker
Summary: In Colombia, human cysticercosis distribution is influenced by socioeconomic factors, education, and environmental factors related to T. solium egg transmission. This information can be used to customize national intervention strategies, targeting spatial hotspots and higher risk groups such as displaced persons and women. Large-scale seroprevalence surveys combined with geospatial mapping are crucial steps in achieving the WHO's 2021-2030 NTD roadmap targets.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Zachary Nsadha, Chris Rutebarika, Chrisostom Ayebazibwe, Bukenya Aloys, M. Mwanja, E. Jane Poole, Elizabeth Chesang, Angela Colston, Meritxell Donadeu, Marshall W. Lightowlers
Summary: A study conducted in two districts of Uganda showed that the concurrent vaccination of pigs with the TSOL18 vaccine and medication with oxfendazole can eliminate T. solium transmission by the animals involved in the study, indicating the potential for reducing T. solium transmission in Uganda and other endemic countries.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF POVERTY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Chenlong Yang, Tie Liu, Jian Wu, Jingcheng Xie, Tao Yu, Wenqing Jia, Jun Yang, Yulun Xu
Summary: This retrospective study analyzed the clinical manifestations, radiological features, treatment, and outcomes of seven patients with spinal cysticercosis. Spinal cysticercosis is an extremely rare cause of myelopathy, and characteristic MRI features can aid in preoperative diagnosis.
