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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Cysticercosis, a Neglected Disease
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Cysticercosis, a Neglected Disease

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Public Health Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 9924

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ronan Jambou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Global Health Department, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
Interests: pathogen circulation in biotopes; Yersinia pestis; plague
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Toward a cysticercosis free world ?

Cysticercosis is an underestimated public health concern in most tropical countries, sustaining a large part of secondary epilepsy. Whereas consumption of uncooked pork meat triggers taeniasis, cysticercosis is caused by the larva of Taenia solium tapeworm. Transmission to humans is through food or water contaminated by the eggs of the worms. Cysticercosis is thus present all over the world, even in populations that do not consume pork such as in Muslim countries, triggering 50,000 deaths yearly. However, T. solium and T. saginata life cycles are very simple, i.e., from human to animal or from human to human. Poor sanitation access and uncontrolled free-ranging pig production accelerate the propagation of the worm. Proper sanitation organization would enable the elimination of these diseases. This leads to a very important question: why has cysticercosis not been eliminated yet? Why is it still an issue today? Epidemiology of the disease is important to understand where to develop control activities, whereas studies on the biology of the parasite can provide new usable data for treatment and diagnosis.

Microorganisms is launching a Special Issue on this disease which will be the place to summarize our knowledge and understanding of pittfalls to progress to this elimination process. I am very pleased to lead this issue and to invite you to contribute.

Dr. Ronan Jambou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cysticercosis
  • epilepsy
  • pig
  • ecology
  • immunology
  • molecular typing
  • vaccine
  • public health
  • urban farming
  • treatment

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 579 KiB  
Article
Seroprevalence of Cysticercosis among Epileptic Patients Attending Neurological Units in the Urban Area of Abidjan
by Man-Koumba Soumahoro, Jihen Melki, Berthe Assi, Yves Landry Kangah, Mamadou Camara, Gildas Boris Tazemda-Kuitsouc, Mireille Nowakowski, Constance Yapo-Ehounoud, Thérèse Sonan, Jacques Bellalou and Ronan Jambou
Microorganisms 2021, 9(8), 1712; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9081712 - 11 Aug 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2241
Abstract
Cysticercosis is one of the main causes of secondary epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa. To estimate the seroprevalence of cysticercosis among epileptic patients, we conducted a cross-sectional study of patients attending neurology consultation in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Methods: Patients’ socio-demographic and lifestyle data [...] Read more.
Cysticercosis is one of the main causes of secondary epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa. To estimate the seroprevalence of cysticercosis among epileptic patients, we conducted a cross-sectional study of patients attending neurology consultation in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Methods: Patients’ socio-demographic and lifestyle data were collected as well as blood samples for serological testing using ELISA and Western blot based on IgG antibodies detection. For qualitative variables comparison, Chi2 or Fisher tests were used; a Student’s t-test was used to compare quantitative variables. A multivariate logistic regression model was fit to identify risks factors. Results: Among 403 epileptic patients included in the study, 55.3% were male; the median age was 16.9 years; 77% lived in Abidjan; 26.5% were workers. Most patients included in the study had tonic-clonic seizures (80%), and 11.2% had focal deficit signs. The seroprevalence of cysticercosis was 6.0%. The risk was higher in patients over 30 years old (aOR = 5.1 (1.3–20.0)) than in patients under 16. The risk was also considerably high in patients who reported epileptics in the family (aOR = 5 (1.7–14.6)). The risk was three-fold less in females than in males. Conclusions: This study highlighted the exposure of epileptic patients to Taenia solium larvae in an urban area. The risk of positive serology was increased with age, male gender, and family history of epilepsy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cysticercosis, a Neglected Disease)
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13 pages, 457 KiB  
Article
A Large Case Series of Neurocysticercosis in Kuwait, a Nonendemic Arabian Gulf Country in the Middle East Region
by Jamshaid Iqbal, Suhail Ahmad, Mohammad Al-Awadhi, Amir Masud, Zainab Mohsin, Abdullah Y. Abdulrasoul, Khalifa Albenwan, Nadia Alenezi and Fatima AlFarsi
Microorganisms 2021, 9(6), 1221; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9061221 - 4 Jun 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2514
Abstract
Neurocysticercosis (NCC), a leading global cause of severe progressive headache and epilepsy, in developed or affluent countries is mostly diagnosed among immigrants from poor or developing Taenia solium taeniasis-endemic countries. Taeniasis carriers in Kuwait are routinely screened by insensitive stool microscopy. In this [...] Read more.
Neurocysticercosis (NCC), a leading global cause of severe progressive headache and epilepsy, in developed or affluent countries is mostly diagnosed among immigrants from poor or developing Taenia solium taeniasis-endemic countries. Taeniasis carriers in Kuwait are routinely screened by insensitive stool microscopy. In this study, enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB) was used as a confirmatory test for NCC. Screening was performed on 970 patients referred for suspected NCC on the basis of relevant history and/or ring-enhancing lesions on computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging during a 14-year period in Kuwait. Demographic data and clinical details were retrieved from laboratory or hospital records. EITB was positive in 150 subjects (15.5%), including 98 expatriates mostly originating from taeniasis-endemic countries and, surprisingly, 52 Kuwaiti nationals. The clinical details of 48 of 50 NCC cases diagnosed during 2014–2019 were available. Most common symptoms included seizures, persistent headache with/without fever, and fits or loss of consciousness. Cysticercal lesions were located at various brain regions in 39 of 48 patients. Multiple members of 3 families with NCC were identified; infection was linked to domestic workers from taeniasis-endemic countries and confirmed in at least 1 family. Our data show that NCC is predominantly imported in Kuwait by expatriates originating from taeniasis-endemic countries who transmit the infection to Kuwaiti citizens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cysticercosis, a Neglected Disease)
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17 pages, 340 KiB  
Article
Collaborative Studies for the Detection of Taenia spp. Infections in Humans within CYSTINET, the European Network on Taeniosis/Cysticercosis
by María Ángeles Gómez-Morales, Patrizio Pezzotti, Alessandra Ludovisi, Belgees Boufana, Pierre Dorny, Titia Kortbeek, Joachim Blocher, Veronika Schmidt, Marco Amati, Sarah Gabriël, Edoardo Pozio, Andrea Sylvia Winkler and The Ring Trial Participants
Microorganisms 2021, 9(6), 1173; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9061173 - 29 May 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2480
Abstract
Laboratory tools for diagnosing taeniosis/cysticercosis in non-endemic countries are available; however, there is little data on their performance. To provide information on the sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of these tools, inter-laboratory studies were organized within the EU COST-Action CYSTINET (TD1302). Two serological and [...] Read more.
Laboratory tools for diagnosing taeniosis/cysticercosis in non-endemic countries are available; however, there is little data on their performance. To provide information on the sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of these tools, inter-laboratory studies were organized within the EU COST-Action CYSTINET (TD1302). Two serological and one coprological Ring Trials (RTs) were organized to test a panel of human-derived sera and stool samples using assays routinely conducted by the participating laboratories to detect Taenia spp. infections. Four Western blots (WBs) and five ELISAs were used by nine laboratories for cysticercosis diagnosis. In the first serological RT, the overall sensitivity was 67.6% (95% CI, 59.1–75.4), whereas specificity was 97% (95% CI, 89.8–99.6). WBs recorded the best accuracy. A second serological RT was organized, to assess the three tests most frequently used during the first RT. Two out of six laboratories performed all the three tests. The overall sensitivity and specificity were 52.8% (95% CI, 42.8–62.7) and 98.1% (95% CI, 93.2–99.7), respectively. Laboratory performance strongly affected test results. Twelve laboratories participated in the coprological RT using conventional microscopy and six laboratories used molecular assays. Traditional diagnosis by microscopy yielded better results than molecular diagnosis. This may have been influenced by the lack of standardization of molecular tests across participating laboratories. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cysticercosis, a Neglected Disease)
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13 pages, 3167 KiB  
Article
Transcriptome Analysis and Autophagy Investigation of LoVo Cells Stimulated with Exosomes Derived from T. asiatica Adult Worms
by Panhong Liang, Yanping Li, Li Mao, Tingli Liu, Shaohua Zhang, Muhammad Ehsan, Liqun Wang, Aimin Guo, Guoliang Chen and Xuenong Luo
Microorganisms 2021, 9(5), 994; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9050994 - 5 May 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2057
Abstract
Taenia asiatica is a zoonotic parasite found in the human intestine and pig liver that evolved various strategies to survive the host’s defenses. Exosomes are membranous vesicles released by cells and are an important vehicle in parasite-host interactions. However, no literature exists on [...] Read more.
Taenia asiatica is a zoonotic parasite found in the human intestine and pig liver that evolved various strategies to survive the host’s defenses. Exosomes are membranous vesicles released by cells and are an important vehicle in parasite-host interactions. However, no literature exists on the specific infection mechanisms of T. asiatica against the host defense response, and further research is required to understand the parasite-host interaction. In this study, we investigated the host’s differentially expressed genes (DEGs) while stimulating them with exosomes derived from the T. asiatica adult worm (Tas-exo) on LoVo by RNA-seq analysis. Our results identified 348 genes as being significantly differentially expressed for the Tas-exo group when comparing with that of the NC group. Some of these genes are related to modulation of cell proliferation and cell autophagy. Surprisingly, autophagy and cell proliferation have crucial roles in the defense against parasites; accordingly, we detected cell proliferation and autophagy in LoVo cells by CCK8, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting, demonstrating that Tas-exo could inhibit LoVo cell proliferation and autophagy via AMPK pathway. When P62 and p-mTOR/mTOR expression were significantly increased, BeclinI and pAMPK/AMPK were significantly decreased. These results expand our understanding of parasite-host interactions mediated by exosomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cysticercosis, a Neglected Disease)
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