ABSTRACT
Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is defined as the infestation of the central nervous system (CNS) by the larval stage of the tapeworm— Taenia solium. It constitutes a threat to millions of people all over the world. Cysticercosis is endemic in Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa and in some regions of the Far East, including the Indian subcontinent, Indonesia and China. Cysticercosis is rare in Europe, North America (with the exception of the southwestern United States), Australia and Japan; it is nonexistent in Muslim countries of Africa and Asia (Fig. I).1 According to the WHO, more than 2 million people harbor the adult tapeworm and many more are infected with cysticerci. T. solium carriers are contagious sources of cysticercosis. Human cysticercosis must be considered a disease resulting from contagion from an infested human; therefore, the source of contagion should be investigated using the same epidemiologic approach which is customary for other infectious disease.2 In endemic areas, NCC accounts for 10-12% of all admissions in neurology wards. Cysticercosis is a major cause of epilepsy in the developing countries, where the prevalence of active epilepsy is almost twice the prevalence in Western countries. It is estimated that 50,000 new deaths due to NCC occur every year and many surviving patients are left with irreversible brain damage. Cysticercosis is an important public health problem since most affected people are productive age. The alarming magnitude of this problem is, however, the “tip of the iceberg” since the actual prevalence of NCC is not known due to the lack of a highly specific and sensitive diagnostic tests that permits a worldwide survey.
