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Infectious Diseases
Published in Stephan Strobel, Lewis Spitz, Stephen D. Marks, Great Ormond Street Handbook of Paediatrics, 2019
Vas Novelli, Delane Shingadia, Huda Al-Ansari
Neurocysticercosis is diagnosed by a CT scan of the head (Fig. 3.48) or MRI (Fig. 3.49). These show multiple enhancing and non-enhancing cysts that later may become calcified. The enzyme-linked immunotransfer blot detects antibody to Taenia solium and is the best serological test available.
Inflammatory diseases affecting the spinal cord
Published in Milosh Perovitch, Radiological Evaluation of the Spinal Cord, 2019
Cysticercosis (Taenia solium) is still frequent in many countries, and owing to the possibilities of modern travel, the disease will sporadically occur in any part of the world. There are two recognized forms of cysticercosis. The first one is represented by a cyst in the brain and, on rare occasions, in the spinal cord. The second is represented by aggregation of multiple small cysts appearing like grapes. This is known as the racemose form of the disease. The involvement of the spinal cord by either of the two forms of cysticercosis is not common, and there are few studies dealing with this problem.105, 108
Taenia
Published in Dongyou Liu, Handbook of Foodborne Diseases, 2018
The genus Taenia (derived from Greek tainia, meaning “ribbon,” “bandage,” or “stripe”) covers a group of tapeworms whose ribbon-like adult resides in the intestines of carnivore or omnivore (causing intestinal taeniasis), and whose cyst-like larva (metacestode) lives in the internal organs of herbivores or omnivores, including humans (causing cysticercosis or neurocysticercosis). Of the 45 Taenia species described to date, three (i.e., Taenia solium [pork tapeworm], Taenia saginata [beef tapeworm], and Taenia asiatica [Asian tapeworm]) are linked to human diseases. Specifically, while these three tapeworms are associated with largely asymptomatic intestinal taeniasis in humans, T. solium is responsible for cysticercosis (cysticercus cellulosae) in pigs as well as humans, T. saginata for cysticercosis (cysticercus bovis) in cattle, and T. asiatica for cysticercosis (cysticercus viscerotropica) in pigs (Table 65.1).
Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis in Guatemala: a prevalent public health problem?
Published in Pathogens and Global Health, 2023
Roderico David Hernández-Chea, Paola Morales-Ramírez, Marisela Hernández, Andrea Toledo, Alejandro Hun, Edda Sciutto, Agnès Fleury
A literature search and a review of official data in Guatemala suggest that Taenia solium infections are frequent and pose a serious health problem. In fact, T. solium infections have been reported in all departments of the Republic. However, due to the lack of epidemiological surveillance, the actual status and burden of T. solium infections remain unknown, and cysticercosis is not recognized as a priority preventable disease and is not included in national health programs. On the other hand, taeniasis and cysticercosis are frequently reported as ‘unspecified’ due to a failure to diagnose them properly; the species of Taenia and the specific location of parasites in cysticercosis cases are often not reported, making it impossible to have real casuistry data. This should be improved, and efforts should be made to conduct epidemiological studies to detect foci of T. solium. As a starting point, reliable data recording methods for T. solium infections should be established as part of a nationwide surveillance system by public health authorities, considering the cultural and socio-demographic characteristics of vulnerable populations living in rural communities.
Intraventricular neurocysticercosis causing obstructing hydrocephalus
Published in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 2022
Alejandro Perez, Gaurav Syngal, Samreen Fathima, Sam Laali, Sadat Shamim
A 30-year-old right-handed Mexican man presented to the emergency department complaining of progressive headache, photophobia, neck pain, and double vision for 3 weeks. He worked on farms with his father who had epilepsy. Initial computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed obstructive hydrocephalus in his fourth ventricle concerning for neurocysticercosis (Figure 1). Laboratory results showed no leukocytosis or eosinophilia. He underwent elective suboccipital craniotomy with excision of a fourth ventricle mass (Figure 2). Two days after surgery, his CT imaging showed diffuse cerebral edema with increased intraventricular blood, and on the third day he acutely decompensated with lethargy and dilated pupils requiring emergent ventriculostomy placement. His cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis from the ventriculostomy showed xanthochromia and pleocytosis with neutrophilic predominance. CSF cultures showed no growth. Screening for tuberculosis, syphilis, and Strongyloides was negative. Pathology evaluation revealed an encysted Taenia solium organism (Figure 3). He was started on dual antihelminthic therapy consisting of albendazole and praziquantel. His hospital course was complicated by development of subdural collection within the middle cerebellum and ventricle.
Prevalence and risk factors for neurocysticercosis in children with a first-onset seizure in rural North India
Published in Paediatrics and International Child Health, 2020
Amit Kumar Mital, Priyanka Choudhary, R. B. Jain
Taenia solium infection is usually contracted by eating undercooked pork and intestinal infection is generally asymptomatic. Cysticercosis occurs through consuming food contaminated with faeces containing eggs of T. solium (the faeco-oral route) [4,5]. Once a human ingests food or water contaminated with the eggs and the larvae are released from the eggs, they invade the intestine, migrate through the bloodstream and encyst in organs such as subcutaneous tissue, muscle and brain (NCC). In the brain they form a fluid-filled cyst containing a single invaginated scolex. Local transmission of the disease is, however, only possible in the presence of an adult T. solium worm in the gut. The tapeworm carrier is the sole source of infection and is at risk of acquiring cysticercosis, probably through faecal-oral autoinfection. Carriers are most at risk and prone to high levels of heavy infection, leading to disseminated or encephalitic NCC [6,7]. NCC can also lead to complications such as hydrocephalus, cerebral oedema, cerebral infarction, spinal transverse myelitis and ocular NCC with retinal detachment [8].