Potential Parasitic Causes of Epilepsy in an Onchocerciasis Endemic Area in the Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design and Site
2.2. Study Population
2.3. Diagnosis of O. volvulus Infection
2.4. Testing for Other Parasites
2.5. Statistical Analysis
2.6. Ethical Considerations
3. Results
3.1. Description of the Population
3.2. Seroprevalence of O. volvulus, T. solium, T. canis and S. stercoralis in Persons with Epilepsy
3.3. Characteristic of Co-Infected Persons with Epilepsy
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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O. volvulus and T. solium Infection (N = 16) | O. volvulus and T. canis Infection (N = 32) 2 | O. volvulus Only 1 (N = 147) | p-Value * | p-Value ** | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age, Median (IQR) | 27 (21–51) | 23.5 (16-35) | 22 (16–30) | 0.021 | 0.130 |
Men, N (%) 3 | 13 (81.3%) | 19 (59.4%) | 71 (48.3%) | 0.012 | 0.26 |
Age at onset of the epilepsy, Median (IQR) | 14 (9–45) | 13.5 (10–19.5) | 12 (8–15) | 0.122 | 0.051 |
Generalised tonic–clonic seizures, N (%) | 14 (87.5%) | 32 (100%) | 131 (89.1%) | 0.845 | NA |
Nodding seizures, N (%) | 1 (6%) | 2 (6.3%) | 24 (16.3%) | 0.288 | 0.143 |
Absences, N (%) | 7 (43.7%) | 9 (28.2%) | 63 (42.9%) | 0.945 | 0.123 |
Focal seizures with loss of consciousness, N (%) | 2 (12.5%) | 0(0%) | 25 (17%) | 0.523 | <0.0001 |
Focal seizures without loss of consciousness, N (%) | 2 (12.5%) | 1 (3.1%) | 3 (2%) | 0.021 | 0.707 |
Skin snip, N (%) | 13 (81.3%) | 28 (87.5%) | 115 (78.23%) | 0.78 | 0.236 |
Mf load, Median (IQR) | 4 (1.25–11.25) | 10 (1–10) | 9 (0–67) | 0.385 | 0.907 |
Seroprevalence (N = 195) | |
---|---|
T. solium (WB), N (%) | 16 (8.2%) |
T. canis (ELISA), N (%) | 36 (18.5%) |
Strongyloides (IFAT + ELISA), N (%) | 25 (12.8%) |
Nr | Age | Sex | Age of Seizures Onset | Generlized TCS | Nodding Seizures | Absences | Focal Seizures |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 | M | 8 | YES | YES | YES | YES * |
2 | 19 | F | 5 | YES | NO | YES | NO |
3 | 20 | M | 20 | YES | NO | NO | YES ** |
4 | 21 | M | 14 | YES | NO | YES | NO |
5 | 22 | F | 9 | YES | NO | NO | NO |
6 | 23 | M | 9 | YES | NO | NO | YES *** |
7 | 24 | M | 7 | YES | NO | NO | NO |
8 | 27 | M | 11 | YES | NO | YES | NO |
9 | 27 | M | 12 | YES | NO | YES | NO |
10 | 29 | M | 10 | YES | NO | YES | YES * |
11 | 34 | M | 31 | YES | NO | NO | NO |
12 | 50 | F | 44 | YES | NO | YES | NO |
13 | 51 | M | 49 | YES | NO | NO | NO |
14 | 52 | M | 45 | YES | NO | NO | NO |
15 | 60 | M | 53 | YES | NO | NO | NO |
16 | 65 | M | 47 | YES | NO | NO | NO |
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Vieri, M.K.; Mandro, M.; Cardellino, C.S.; Orza, P.; Ronzoni, N.; Siewe Fodjo, J.N.; Hotterbeekx, A.; Colebunders, R. Potential Parasitic Causes of Epilepsy in an Onchocerciasis Endemic Area in the Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Pathogens 2021, 10, 359. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10030359
Vieri MK, Mandro M, Cardellino CS, Orza P, Ronzoni N, Siewe Fodjo JN, Hotterbeekx A, Colebunders R. Potential Parasitic Causes of Epilepsy in an Onchocerciasis Endemic Area in the Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Pathogens. 2021; 10(3):359. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10030359
Chicago/Turabian StyleVieri, Melissa Krizia, Michel Mandro, Chiara Simona Cardellino, Pierantonio Orza, Niccolò Ronzoni, Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo, An Hotterbeekx, and Robert Colebunders. 2021. "Potential Parasitic Causes of Epilepsy in an Onchocerciasis Endemic Area in the Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo" Pathogens 10, no. 3: 359. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10030359
APA StyleVieri, M. K., Mandro, M., Cardellino, C. S., Orza, P., Ronzoni, N., Siewe Fodjo, J. N., Hotterbeekx, A., & Colebunders, R. (2021). Potential Parasitic Causes of Epilepsy in an Onchocerciasis Endemic Area in the Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Pathogens, 10(3), 359. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10030359