AntigenELISA testing to this reference laboratory. Recently, antigen-ELISA facilities have also

AntigenELISA testing to this reference laboratory. Recently, antigen-ELISA facilities have also been established in Mozambique, Madagascar, South Africa, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon.Pathogens and Global HealthVOL .NO .WinklerNeurocysticercosis in sub-Saharan AfricaTreatment in the absence of neuroimaging The majority of patients in resource-poor settings have neither access to neuroimaging nor to T. solium cysticercosis antigen ELISA. Therefore, patients should be treated symptomatically only. If NCC becomes symptomatic, this is mainly with epileptic seizures, either as acute symptomatic seizures caused by perifocal oedema or as chronic epilepsy caused by calcifications. Apart from epilepsy the patient may suffer from severe progressive headache alone or in combination with epileptic seizures. Other neurological/neuropsychiatric symptoms/signs are less frequent.29 QVD-OPH biological activity neurological examination in most cases is unremarkable and there is often no clue as to the origin of the epileptic seizures other than the patient coming from a T. solium cysticercosis endemic area which does not really help differentiate NCC-related seizures from other types of seizures. In case of acute symptomatic seizures other potential causes such as cerebral malaria, ABT-737 chemical information bacterial and Tb-meningitis, as well as encephalitis, etc. have to be excluded and often lumbar puncture is necessary. In the majority of cases, especially in patients with intraparenchymal NCC lesions cerebrospinal fluid may be normal. However, analysis of cerebrospinal fluid is still important to exclude potential differential diagnoses which require fast and specific treatment such as bacterial or Tbmeningitis. Once the most important differential diagnoses have been excluded and household contact with free-roaming pigs and/or consumption of pork has been established and the patient deteriorates with signs of increased intracranial pressure, hospitalisation is advisable and a trial of steroids should be given together with antiepileptic medication on the assumption that the epileptic seizures are caused by acutely symptomatic NCC. One may argue that by treating symptomatic patients with steroids only (without antihelminthic medication) the long-term outcome of the patients both in terms of cysticercus clearance and severity of epileptic seizures may be jeopardized. However, whether antihelminthic drugs increase clearance of the parasite and ultimately control epileptic seizures remains controversial. A well-designed study showed that treatment with albendazole in addition to antiepileptic medication significantly cleared the parasite and reduced seizure frequency, especially those with generalisation, when compared to the control group that received antiepileptic medication only.90 However, another study reported that albendazole and antiepileptic treatment did not show greater benefit than therapy with antiepileptic drugs alone. The combination treatment led to increased hospital admission, increased seizure frequency, more cases of encephalopathy and deaths. A greaterproportion of lesions calcified compared to the group that was treated with antiepileptic drugs alone, in which more lesions resolved completely.91 As subSaharan Africa is lacking imaging facilities and `blind treatment’ with antihelminthic medication may cause severe side effects in terms of cerebral oedema, most African physicians do not have a choice but to treat symptomatically, i.e. with steroids and/or antiepileptic medication alone.AntigenELISA testing to this reference laboratory. Recently, antigen-ELISA facilities have also been established in Mozambique, Madagascar, South Africa, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon.Pathogens and Global HealthVOL .NO .WinklerNeurocysticercosis in sub-Saharan AfricaTreatment in the absence of neuroimaging The majority of patients in resource-poor settings have neither access to neuroimaging nor to T. solium cysticercosis antigen ELISA. Therefore, patients should be treated symptomatically only. If NCC becomes symptomatic, this is mainly with epileptic seizures, either as acute symptomatic seizures caused by perifocal oedema or as chronic epilepsy caused by calcifications. Apart from epilepsy the patient may suffer from severe progressive headache alone or in combination with epileptic seizures. Other neurological/neuropsychiatric symptoms/signs are less frequent.29 Neurological examination in most cases is unremarkable and there is often no clue as to the origin of the epileptic seizures other than the patient coming from a T. solium cysticercosis endemic area which does not really help differentiate NCC-related seizures from other types of seizures. In case of acute symptomatic seizures other potential causes such as cerebral malaria, bacterial and Tb-meningitis, as well as encephalitis, etc. have to be excluded and often lumbar puncture is necessary. In the majority of cases, especially in patients with intraparenchymal NCC lesions cerebrospinal fluid may be normal. However, analysis of cerebrospinal fluid is still important to exclude potential differential diagnoses which require fast and specific treatment such as bacterial or Tbmeningitis. Once the most important differential diagnoses have been excluded and household contact with free-roaming pigs and/or consumption of pork has been established and the patient deteriorates with signs of increased intracranial pressure, hospitalisation is advisable and a trial of steroids should be given together with antiepileptic medication on the assumption that the epileptic seizures are caused by acutely symptomatic NCC. One may argue that by treating symptomatic patients with steroids only (without antihelminthic medication) the long-term outcome of the patients both in terms of cysticercus clearance and severity of epileptic seizures may be jeopardized. However, whether antihelminthic drugs increase clearance of the parasite and ultimately control epileptic seizures remains controversial. A well-designed study showed that treatment with albendazole in addition to antiepileptic medication significantly cleared the parasite and reduced seizure frequency, especially those with generalisation, when compared to the control group that received antiepileptic medication only.90 However, another study reported that albendazole and antiepileptic treatment did not show greater benefit than therapy with antiepileptic drugs alone. The combination treatment led to increased hospital admission, increased seizure frequency, more cases of encephalopathy and deaths. A greaterproportion of lesions calcified compared to the group that was treated with antiepileptic drugs alone, in which more lesions resolved completely.91 As subSaharan Africa is lacking imaging facilities and `blind treatment’ with antihelminthic medication may cause severe side effects in terms of cerebral oedema, most African physicians do not have a choice but to treat symptomatically, i.e. with steroids and/or antiepileptic medication alone.