A study of neurocysticercosis in the foothills of the Himalayas.
OBJECTIVE
The present study was planned and carried out with the aim of determining the incidence of neurocysticercosis (NCC) among patients with clinically manifested neurological disorders attending the Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS) hospital.


METHODS
Spanning a period of 18 months, serum samples of consecutively selected patients were screened by ELISA for the presence of anti-cysticercus antibodies after obtaining a detailed history. Physical examinations were performed along with routine hematological, stool and urine tests. All patients included in the study group were also subjected to radiological investigations such as CT scan/MRI/X-ray and/or ultrasonography.


RESULTS
One hundred and three new patients were selected for the study group, with a male:female ratio of 2:1. Of these, 33 (32.0%) patients were positive for Taenia solium IgG antibodies in sera. Children in the 11-20 years age group were most affected (39.4%). Only 10 patients (30.3%) were found to be positive for ova in stool, which correlated well with the presence of multiple lesions in the central nervous system (p<0.01). Solitary lesions were more common (66.7%) than multiple lesions (33.3%) on radiological diagnosis by CT scan/MRI.


CONCLUSIONS
A high incidence of neurocysticercosis in the region reflects the endemic presence of T. solium and advocates the practice of better hygiene, cooking methods and water filtration procedures for the prevention of infection.
Kumar
Ashish
A
Department of Microbiology, the Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS), Jolly Grant, Dehradun, Uttaranchal 248 140, India. v_ashish2001@rediffmail.com
Khan
Suhail A
SA
Khan
Sarah
S
Das
Sanjoy
S
Anurag
Negi
K S
KS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020019:Neurocysticercosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D041201:Taenia solium / Q000382:microbiology*
D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D007074:Immunoglobulin G