Prevention Of Cysticercosis Research Articles

Prevalence of cysticercosis and location of cysticercus in carcasses of cattle slices in refrigerators in the Northeast region of Bahia

In the present study, the prevalence of bovine cysticercosis in 190,461 animals during a three-year period (2014, 2015, and 2016) was analyzed in a refrigerator situated in the northeast region, Bahia, Brazil. The animals were supplied from the Bahia municipalities. The data were obtained from reports of daily condemnation of bovine carcasses, as a result of the presence of cysts, and viscera, especially the liver and heart, together with the tongue and head of the animals, as well as the origin of cattle. Prevalence of bovine cysticercosis was observed in 1204 animals, and the form of viable cysts was higher (0.63%) as viable cysts (0.005%), with a preference for the liver 0.46% and heart 0.14%. With this we conclude that cysticercosis is an important cause of condemnation of viscera and carcasses leading to enormous economic losses. The intervention of the veterinarian in the prevention of cysticercosis should be to interrupt the evolutionary cycle of the parasite, thus reducing, gradually, the frequency of taeniasis in man, the definitive host.

Simple and reliable preparation of immunodiagnostic antigens forTaenia soliumcysticercosis

SUMMARY Cysticercosis caused by infection with the larval stage of Taenia solium is an important cause of neurological disease worldwide and immunodiagnosis is important for the control and elimination of cysticercosis. In the present study, we established a simple and reliable preparation of immunodiagnostic low-molecular-weight antigens (LMWAgs) from T. solium cyst fluids by a cation-exchange chromatography (CEC). Banding patterns of LMWAgs on SDS-PAGE were different between isolates from Ecuador and China. All cysticercosis patient sera and some echinococcosis patient sera recognized both LMWAgs by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), but sera from healthy persons were not positive. There was no statistical difference in immunodiagnostic performance of LMWAgs prepared from different geographical isolates. These results indicated that these novel immunodiagnostic antigen preparations could contribute the control and prevention of cysticercosis in endemic areas, especially developing countries.

Neurocysticercosis is still prevalent in Mexico

In this work, we report the published cases of human and porcine cysticercosis, as well as Taenia solium taeniasis diagnosed in Mexico during the last 10 years. Numerical data allow us to state that this disease remains as a public health problem in our country. Whereas efficient tools have been developed for the diagnosis and prevention of cysticercosis, we strongly recommend further measures allowing the control and eventual eradication of this parasite in Mexico.

Protein and Antigen Diversity in the Vesicular Fluid of Taenia Solium Cysticerci Dissected from Naturally Infected Pigs

Cysticercosis caused by Taenia solium is a health threat for humans and pigs living in developing countries, for which there is neither a flawless immunodiagnostic test nor a totally effective vaccine. Suspecting of individual diversity of hosts and parasites as possible sources of the variations of the parasite loads among cysticercotic animals and of the limited success of such immunological applications as well as, we explored and measured both in nine cases of naturally acquired porcine cysticercosis. For this purpose, 2-Dimensional IgG immunoblots were performed by reacting the sera of each cysticercotic pig with the antigens contained in the vesicular fluid (VF) of their own cysticerci. We found an unexpectedly large diversity among the proteins and antigens contained in each of the nine VFs. Also diverse were the serum IgG antibody responses of the nine pigs, as none of their 2D- immunoblot images exhibited the same number of spots and resembled each other in only 6.3% to 65.3% of their features. So large an individual immunological diversity of the cysticercal antigens and of the infected pigs´ IgG antibody response should be taken into account in the design of immunological tools for diagnosis and prevention of cysticercosis and should also be considered as a possibly significant source of diversity in Taenia solium´s infectiveness and pathogenicity.

Taenia crassiceps cysticercosis: protective effect and immune response elicited by DNA immunization.

The nucleotide sequence of a protective recombinant antigen of Taenia crassiceps cysticerci present in all stages of Taenia solium (KETc7), cloned into pcDNA3 plasmid with the signal peptide sequence of the beta-glycan receptor (pTc-sp7), has been shown to be effective in protecting mice against experimental infection of T. crassiceps. To explore further the possibilities of this form of immunization and the immune response induced, mice were injected intramuscularly (i.m.) or intradermally (i.d.) with 3 doses of pTc-sp7. Similar levels of resistance were found using either i.m. or i.d. immunization. Spleen cells from i.d. and i.m. DNA immunized mice induced a specific T-cell response to T. crassiceps antigens and to a synthetic peptide from the immunogen itself (GK-1). Proliferated cells were especially enriched in CD8+ CD4- T-lymphocytes. A clear increase in the percentage of CD3+ cells that produce gamma-interferon and interleukin-2 was detected when measuring the intracellular cytokine production, an indication of the pTc-sp7 capacity to induce an effective cellular response. These results provide encouraging information on the use of KETc7 in the prevention of cysticercosis as well as a first insight into the characterization of the immune response induced by pTc-sp7 that hints to the relevance of cellular immunity in protection.

Epidemiología de la Neurocisticercosis

Cysticercosis remain an important health problem in developing countries. Its transmission is related to soil contamination with human feces. This parasitosis is found in Africa, Asia and Latin America, where the greatest incidences are seen in Mexico and Brazil. Human cysticercosis is acquired from the ingestion of ova of Taenia solium, excreted by human carriers in their feces, followed by the development of cyst in human tissue. The risk of contamination with Taenia ova is related to the contact with Taenia solium carriers. Recently, it has been shown that, in humans, the most common route of infection is ingestion of Taenia solium eggs from contaminated food or water. In United States of America and Europe, the frequency of cysticercosis is increasing due to increasing immigration and more frequent travels to endemic regions. The infected individual becomes a carrier and source of infection by oral-fecal contamination. Prevention is the single most important factor in reducing the frequency of cysticercosis. The transmission cycle of cysticercosis could be interrupted by improving sanitary conditions, and eliminating human cysticercosis. The treatment of Taenia carriers could be effective in prevention of cysticercosis, by reducing the excretion of its eggs and, so, reducing the risk of infection. At long date, education--washing hands before eating and after using bathroom, drinking boiled water--and improvements in sanitation, health care and socio-economic status are essential in prevention of human cysticercosis.

Tapeworms, Meat and Man: A Brief Review and Update of Cysticercosis Caused by Taenia Saginata and Taenia Solium

Three species of tapeworms may be transmitted to man by ingestion of animal flesh: Taenia saginata, Taenia solium, and Diphyllobothrium latum. The first two are the subject of this brief review which concentrates on recent studies in the field and emphasizes concepts of importance in detection, control, and prevention of cysticercosis. T. saginata cysticercosis in beef (beef measles) continues to be a concern in developed countries such as the United States, as well as in developing areas such as East Africa where the infection is widespread. The high standards of meat inspection in the United States have not succeeded in eliminating beef cysticercosis which is seen primarily in feedlot cattle originating in the southwestern U.S. However, it should not be viewed as a strictly regional problem, due to the widespread movement of animals and meat within the United States. Beef cysticercosis is costly due to the special treatment required of infected carcasses; serious effects on human health are rare. In contrast, T. solium cysticercosis in swine (pork measles) is rarely reported in areas such as the U.S., Canada, and most European countries, but is still a definite human health concern in Mexico, some other Latin American nations and parts of Africa and Asia. In addition to being a financial burden, T. solium is a serious public health threat in those countries where it is prevalent.