Search Results (8)

Antiepileptic drugs (e.g., carbamazepine; CBZ) are widely prescribed for various conditions beyond epilepsy, including neurologic and psychiatric disorders. These medications can have both favorable and unfavorable impacts on mood, anxiety, depression, and psychosis. CBZ has been found at low concentrations (in the unit of nanograms per liter) in rivers, surface water, and even drinking water. As a result, when reclaimed wastewater is used for irrigation in agricultural ecosystems, CBZ can be reintroduced into the environment. That is why we tested different doses of CBZ in rabbits’ feed as the meat is consumed in every community, has no religious barriers, and the potential risk of consuming meat which has been exposed to CBZ treatment is not known. Also, the evidence of the effect of CBZ on rabbits is missing. Mainly, the CBZ doses affected the count of leukocytes and other blood traits, meaning the higher the dose, the higher the reduction. Moreover, there were only low amounts of CBZ in rabbits’ meat or tissues when they were exposed to the treatment. Full article

Anticonvulsants are pharmaceuticals used for epilepsy treatment, pain syndromes therapy and for various psychiatric indications. They enter the aquatic environment mainly through wastewater and were found to cause both biochemical and behavioral changes in aquatic biota. Because the consumption of anticonvulsive drugs is quite high, their monitoring in the aquatic environment is needed. The Elbe River basin is the fourth largest in Europe; the Elbe flows into the North Sea and therefore its contamination is of international importance. The aim of the present study was to determine the presence and concentrations of anticonvulsant pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, lamotrigine and gabapentin) and their analogues (gabapentin-lactam) in water samples obtained from the Elbe River and its tributaries located in the Czech Republic, as well as to evaluate their correlations with flow rates. The results of this study show that the selected drugs are present in the surface water of the Elbe River in tens to hundreds of ng/L, with the highest measured concentrations for gabapentin. Our results also indicate that the further the sampling point from the Elbe spring is, the higher the concentrations of monitored pharmaceuticals are. Moreover, small tributaries are significantly more contaminated due to their low flow rates with the exceptions of streams flowing from preserved natural sites. The results of the monitoring highlight the importance of building wastewater treatment plants at the municipalities where they are still not present with focus on technology that would be able to decompose substances with negative removal efficiency. Full article

In June 2020, a door-to-door household survey was conducted in Mvolo County, an onchocerciasis-endemic area in South Sudan. A total of 2357 households containing 15,699 individuals agreed to participate in the study. Of these, 5046 (32.1%, 95% CI: 31.4–32.9%) had skin itching and 445 (2.8%, 95% CI: 2.6–3.1%) were blind. An epilepsy screening questionnaire identified 813 (5.1%) persons suspected of having epilepsy. Of them, 804 (98.9%) were seen by a medical doctor, and in 798 (98.1%) the diagnosis of epilepsy was confirmed. The overall epilepsy prevalence was 50.8/1000 (95% CI: 47.6–54.4/1000), while the prevalence of nodding syndrome was 22.4/1000 (95% CI: 20.1–24.9/1000). Younger age, being male, skin itching, blindness, and living in a neighbourhood or village close to the Naam River were risk factors for epilepsy. The annual incidence of epilepsy was 82.8/100,000 (95% CI: 44.1–141.6/100,000). Among children 7–9 years old without epilepsy, 34% were Ov16 seropositive, suggesting high ongoing Onchocerca volvulus transmission, but only 41.9% of them took ivermectin during the last mass distribution. In conclusion, a high prevalence and incidence of epilepsy was observed in Mvolo, South Sudan. Strengthening of the onchocerciasis elimination programme is urgently needed in order to prevent epilepsy in this region. Full article

A high burden of epilepsy is observed in Africa where parasitological infections are endemic. In 2016, in an Onchocerciasis endemic area in the Logo health zone, in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a door-to-door study showed an epilepsy prevalence of 4.6%, and 50.6% of persons with epilepsy were infected with Onchocerca volvulus. In the current study, the serum of 195 people infected with O. volvulus persons with epilepsy were tested to determine the proportion of co-infections with Taenia solium, Toxocara canis and Strongyloides. These proportions were, respectively, 8.2, 18.5 and 12.8%. Persons with a T. solium co-infection were older than those without co-infection (p = 0.021). In six (37.5%) of the T. solium co-infected persons, the first seizures appeared after the age of 30 years compared to three (2.1%) persons without a co-infection (p < 0.0001). Our study suggests that an O. volvulus infection is the main parasitic cause of epilepsy in the Ituri province, but in some persons, mainly in those with late onset epilepsy and with focal seizures, the epilepsy may be caused by neurocysticercosis. As the population in the area rears pigs, activities to limit T. solium transmission should be implemented. Full article

There is growing epidemiological evidence that onchocerciasis may induce epilepsy. High prevalence of onchocerciasis has been reported in onchocerciasis-meso and hyper-endemic regions. We aimed to determine the OV16 antibody prevalence in persons with epilepsy (PWE) in four onchocerciasis-endemic regions. PWE were identified during studies in Mahenge area (Tanzania), Kitgum and Pader districts (Uganda), the Mbam and Sanaga river valleys (Cameroon), and the Logo health zone (Democratic Republic of Congo). Exposure to Onchocerca volvulus was assessed by testing PWE for OV16 IgG4 antibodies using a rapid diagnostic test. The OV16 seroprevalence among PWE in the four onchocerciasis-endemic study sites ranged from 35.2% to 59.7%. OV16 seroprevalence increased with age until the age of 39 years, after which it decreased drastically. Our study suggests that, in onchocerciasis-endemic regions, epilepsy in young people is often associated with onchocerciasis, while epilepsy in older persons seems unrelated to O. volvulus exposure. Full article

Pharmaceuticals are emerging contaminants in the aquatic environments. Their presence poses toxicological effects in humans and animals even at trace concentrations. This study investigated the presence of antibiotics, anti-epilepsy and anti-inflammatory drugs in river water of selected rivers in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used for screening of sulfamethoxazole and fluoroquinolones antibiotics. The samples were collected in upper-stream, middle-stream and lower-stream regions of the rivers and effluent of selected wastewater treatment plants. Pre-concentration of the samples was conducted using lyophilisation and extraction was conducted using solid phase extraction (SPE) on Waters Oasis hydrophilic-lipophilic-balanced cartridge. The percentage recovery after sample clean-up on SPE was 103% ± 6.9%. This was followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The detected analytes were sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, clarithromycin and carbamazepine. Carbamazepine and erythromycin were detected in high concentrations ranging from 81.8 to 36,576.2 ng/L and 11.2 to 11,800 ng/L respectively, while clarithromycin and sulfamethoxazole were detected at moderate concentrations ranging from 4.8 to 3280.4 ng/L and 6.6 to 6968 ng/L, respectively. High concentrations of pharmaceuticals were detected on the lower-stream sites as compared to upper-stream sites. Full article

Recently, there were anecdotal reports of a high number of persons with epilepsy, including children with nodding seizures in the Landja Mboko area located about 9 km from the capital city Bangui, Central African Republic. We suspected the area to be endemic for onchocerciasis, and that the alleged increase in the number of epilepsy cases was due to ongoing Onchocerca volvulus transmission. However, ivermectin mass drug distribution (MDA) had never been implemented in the area. Therefore we performed an Ov16 antibody prevalence study among children, aged 6–9 years, using the biplex rapid diagnostic test (SD Bioline Oncho/LF biplex IgG4 RDT). The overall Ov16 seroprevalence was 8.9%, and that of lymphatic filariasis (LF) was 1.9%. Ov16 seropositivity was highest in Kodjo (20.0%), a village close to rapids on the river. Our study shows that there is ongoing O. volvulus transmission in the Landja Mboko area. We recommend that the extent of this onchocerciasis focus should be mapped, and the introduction of ivermectin MDA should be considered in these communities. Full article

Background: An epilepsy prevalence of 4.4% was documented in onchocerciasis-endemic villages close to the Maridi River in South Sudan. We investigated the role of the Maridi dam in causing an onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy epidemic in these villages. Methods: Affected communities were visited in November 2019 to conduct focus group discussions with village elders and assess the OV16 seroprevalence in 3- to 9-year-old children. Entomological assessments to map blackfly breeding sites and determine biting rates around the Maridi River were conducted. Historical data regarding various activities at the Maridi dam were obtained from the administrative authorities. Results: The Maridi dam was constructed in 1954–1955. Village elders reported an increasing number of children developing epilepsy, including nodding syndrome, from the early 1990s. Kazana 2 (the village closest to the dam; epilepsy prevalence 11.9%) had the highest OV16 seroprevalence: 40.0% among children 3–6 years old and 66.7% among children 7–9 years old. The Maridi dam spillway was found to be the only Simulium damnosum breeding site along the river, with biting rates reaching 202 flies/man/h. Conclusion: Onchocerciasis transmission rates are high in Maridi. Suitable breeding conditions at the Maridi dam, coupled with suboptimal onchocerciasis control measures, have probably played a major role in causing an epilepsy (including nodding syndrome) epidemic in the Maridi area. Full article