TITLE:
A Review of Human Cysticercosis and Diagnostic Challenges in Endemic Resource Poor Countries
AUTHORS:
Gamba Gamba Nkwengulila
KEYWORDS:
Taenia solium, T. solium Cysticercosis, Human Cysticercosis, Neurocysticercosis, Diagnosis and Challenges
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Infectious Diseases,
Vol.4 No.4,
December
18,
2014
ABSTRACT: Human cysticercosis is a neglected tropical
parasitic zoonotic disease with high public health concerns. Infection of Taenia solium cysticerci in the brain commonly known as neurocysticercosis is a
cause to over 29% of all epileptic cases in endemic countries. Unfortunately,
this infection can go unnoticed for over 10 years. The objective of this review
was to characterize the diagnostic approaches accessible in endemic poor
resource countries. The review sought literature from library catalogues and public
databases for studies on epidemiology and diagnosis challenges of human
cysticercosis. The search key words included “Taenia solium, T. solium cysticercosis, human cysticercosis, neurocysticercosis and diagnosis”. Most of
the diagnostic procedures rely on serology. Neuroimaging tools which would
confirm and thus enable the assessment of the burden of the disease in endemic
countries are rarely used. Therefore assessing the estimate on prevalence and
burden of the disease fallacious is owing to the low sensitivity of serological
tools and the inhibition of humoral, cellular immune responses, inflammatory
reaction and cytokines by the living cysticerci.