Human cysticercosis and Indian scenario: a review.

Cysticercosis, caused by Taenia solium larva is a major public health problem,especially in the developing world and neurocysticercosis (NCC) is considered to be the most common parasitic infestation of the central nervous system. NCC is identified as the single most common cause of community acquired active epilepsy; 26.3% to 53.8% active epilepsy cases in the developing world including India and Latin America are due to NCC.It is also becoming more common in the developed world because of increased migration of people with the disease or Taenia solium carriers and frequent travel to the endemic countries. It is estimated that three quarters of the estimated 50 million people with active epilepsy live in the poor countries of the world. Recent Indian studies using neuroimaging techniques suggest that the disease burden in India surpasses many other developing countries. Hence it is important to know the epidemiology,pathogenesis and diagnostic criteria so as to assess the disease burden and adopt interventional strategies for its control.Literature search was done for this review with special emphasis on Indian studies to create awareness about the disease in India,since cysticercosis is preventable and potentially eradicable.

Características evolutivas do Cysticercus cellulosae no encéfalo e no coração humanos / Developmental characteristics of Cysticercus cellulosae in the human brain and heart

O presente estudo teve como objetivos avaliar a prevalência de cisticercose, classificar as etapas evolutivas dos cisticercos encontrados nos encéfalos e coraçöes humanos, diferenciá-las de acordo com os aspectos macro e microscópicos dos processos patológicos gerais e comparar os processos encontrados nos encéfalos e coraçöes. Foram revisados protocolos de autópsias realizadas no Hospital Escola da Faculdade de Medicina do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, MG, Brasil, no período de 1970 a 2000. Verificou-se a prevalência da cisticercose em 71 casos, sendo 18 (25,4 por cento) de cisticercose cardíaca e 53 (74,6 por cento) de encefálica. Foram analisados 19 cisticercos, sendo 9 de encéfalos e 10 de coraçöes. Os cisticercos foram classificados, de acordo com sua fase evolutiva, em etapas: vesicular, vesicular coloidal, granular nodular e nodular calcificada, com similaridade entre os diagnósticos macro e microscópico. Entre os processos patológicos destacaram-se a beta-fibrilose e a fibroelastose endocárdica. Adicionalmente, demonstrou-se que a classificaçäo pode ser aplicada tanto na cisticercose encefálica como na cardíaca

Cysticercosis in Indonesia: epidemiological aspects.

Cysticercosis caused by the larval stage, cysticercus or cysticerci, of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium was recognized at first in Bali and in Paniai District, Irian Jaya (Papua), Indonesia in the 1970s. In the 1990s a rapid increase in the number of the cases of epileptic seizures and burns in Jayawijaya district, eastern Papua, was observed. There were a total of 1,120 new cases of burns (7.0%) and 293 new cases of epileptic seizures (1.8%) from 15,939 local people during 1991-1995. Both histopathological examination and mitochondrial DNA analysis of resected cysts from patients and pigs revealed cysticerci of T. solium. Antibody responses highly specific to cysticercosis were revealed in approximately 67% and 65% of persons respectively with epileptic seizures and with subcutaneous nodules. Therefore, most cases of epileptic seizures and burns were considered to be associated with cysticercosis in Papua. Additional serologically data from Bali showed that 13.5% of epileptic seizures (10/74) and 12.6% of asymptomatic individuals (94/746) were supposed having been exposed to T. solium. Histopathological evaluation of 80,000 tissue samples in East Java revealed that nine were cysticercosis. All cases were non-moslems and from two ethnic groups, Chinese and Balinese. Epidemiological data on cysticercosis are not available from other provinces of Indonesia, although cases of cysticercosis are occasionally reported. Therefore, other intensive epidemiological studies are strongly recommended, especially covering the eastern part of Indonesia.