title: Detection of Cysticercus antigens and antibodies in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with chronic meningitis.
abstract: Chronic meningitism is a less frequent manifestation of neurocysticercosis caused by Taenia solium cysticerci. In the present study we used Co-agglutination (Co-A), a simple and rapid slide agglutination test to detect specific Cysticercus antigen in the 67 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients with chronic meningitis of unknown etiology. The results were compared with that of ELISA for detection of antibodies. Among these samples four (5.97%) were positive for Cysticercus antigen by Co-A test and six (8.95%) were positive for antibodies by ELISA. Two samples were positive by both Co-A and ELISA, two were positive only by Co-A and four were positive only by ELISA. In the present study, although Cysticercus antigen and antibodies were present in CSF samples from eight (11.94%) patients, we cannot affirm that all the cases of chronic meningitis are due to cysticercosis, but for any case of chronic meningitis of unknown origin, it would be useful to consider the possibility of cysticercal meningitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Pondicherry, India. parijasc@vsnl.com
authors.forename: Subhash Chandra
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Parija
authors.forename: Priyadarshi Soumyaranjan
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Sahu
authors.forename: Hariharkrishnaiear
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dhanya
mesh_terms: D000372:Agglutination Tests; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D008581:Meningitis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D020019:Neurocysticercosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D000947:Antigens, Helminth