title: Successful Antiparasitic Treatment for Cysticercosis is Associated with a Fast and Marked Reduction of Circulating Antigen Levels in a Naturally Infected Pig Model.
abstract: Taenia solium cysticercosis is a common parasitic infection of humans and pigs. We evaluated the posttreatment evolution of circulating parasite-specific antigen titers in 693 consecutive blood samples from 50 naturally infected cysticercotic pigs, which received different regimes of antiparasitic drugs (N = 39, 7 groups), prednisone (N = 5), or controls (N = 6). Samples were collected from baseline to week 10 after treatment, when pigs were euthanized and carefully dissected at necropsy. Antigen levels decreased proportionally to the efficacy of treatment and correlated with the remaining viable cysts at necropsy (Pearson's p = 0.67, P = 0.000). A decrease of 5 times in antigen levels (logarithmic scale) compared with baseline was found in 20/26 pigs free of cysts at necropsy, compared with 1/24 of those who had persisting viable cysts (odds ratio [OR] = 76.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.1-3308.6, P < 0.001). Antigen monitoring reflects the course of infection in the pig. If a similar correlation exists in infected humans, this assay may provide a minimally invasive and easy monitoring assay to assess disease evolution and efficacy of antiparasitic treatment in human neurocysticercosis.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú; Department of Microbiology, School of Sciences, Center for Global Health-Tumbes, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Unidad de Bioinformática, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Cysticercosis Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, Lima, Perú; Instituto Peruano de Parasitología Clínica y Experimental, Lima, Perú; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Armando E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú; Department of Microbiology, School of Sciences, Center for Global Health-Tumbes, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Unidad de Bioinformática, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Cysticercosis Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, Lima, Perú; Instituto Peruano de Parasitología Clínica y Experimental, Lima, Perú; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Javier A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bustos
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú; Department of Microbiology, School of Sciences, Center for Global Health-Tumbes, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Unidad de Bioinformática, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Cysticercosis Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, Lima, Perú; Instituto Peruano de Parasitología Clínica y Experimental, Lima, Perú; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland hgarcia@jhsph.edu.
authors.forename: Hector H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú; Department of Microbiology, School of Sciences, Center for Global Health-Tumbes, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Unidad de Bioinformática, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Cysticercosis Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, Lima, Perú; Instituto Peruano de Parasitología Clínica y Experimental, Lima, Perú; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú; Department of Microbiology, School of Sciences, Center for Global Health-Tumbes, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Unidad de Bioinformática, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Cysticercosis Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, Lima, Perú; Instituto Peruano de Parasitología Clínica y Experimental, Lima, Perú; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Mirko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimic
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú; Department of Microbiology, School of Sciences, Center for Global Health-Tumbes, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Unidad de Bioinformática, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Cysticercosis Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, Lima, Perú; Instituto Peruano de Parasitología Clínica y Experimental, Lima, Perú; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Yesenia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú; Department of Microbiology, School of Sciences, Center for Global Health-Tumbes, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Unidad de Bioinformática, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Cysticercosis Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, Lima, Perú; Instituto Peruano de Parasitología Clínica y Experimental, Lima, Perú; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Praet
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú; Department of Microbiology, School of Sciences, Center for Global Health-Tumbes, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Unidad de Bioinformática, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Cysticercosis Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, Lima, Perú; Instituto Peruano de Parasitología Clínica y Experimental, Lima, Perú; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gabriël
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Perú; Department of Microbiology, School of Sciences, Center for Global Health-Tumbes, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Unidad de Bioinformática, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú; Cysticercosis Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, Lima, Perú; Instituto Peruano de Parasitología Clínica y Experimental, Lima, Perú; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Gilman
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dorny
mesh_terms: D015766:Albendazole / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000923:Anticestodal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003551:Cysticercosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D020019:Neurocysticercosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D011223:Praziquantel / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013552:Swine / Q000469:parasitology; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D041201:Taenia solium / Q000276:immunology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000923:Anticestodal Agents; D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D001562:Benzimidazoles; D011223:Praziquantel; D015766:Albendazole; C011030:oxfendazole