Van der Waals F W, Asher D M, Goudsmit J, Pomeroy K L, Karabatsos N, Gajdusek D C
Trop Geogr Med. 1986 Sep;38(3):203-8.
Among a population of 4.436 Bassa, Kpelle and Mano people in the Gbawein and Wroughbarh Clan region of Grand Bassa Country, Liberia, 123 cases of epilepsy could be documented. In 38% of these cases infections involving the central nervous system precipitated the onset of seizures. Sera from 67 epilepsy patients, 50 direct healthy relatives and 22 geographically matched controls were tested for antibodies to 16 arboviruses of the Togaviridae and Bunyaviridae known to occur in Africa. Antibodies to arboviruses were found in 16.5% of the epilepsy patients, 36% of the mostly older family members, and in 22% of the controls. Males and females were equally affected as were the different clans and language groups. Although meningoencephalitis with sequelae, like seizures, are known to result from arbovirus infections, no evidence for a correlation between epilepsy in this are of Central Liberia and previous arbovirus infection could be established.
在利比里亚大巴萨州Gbawein和Wroughbarh部落地区的4436名巴萨、克佩勒和马诺族人中，记录到123例癫痫病例。在这些病例中，38%的患者因中枢神经系统感染而引发癫痫发作。对67例癫痫患者、50名直系健康亲属和22名地理位置匹配的对照者的血清进行检测，以检测其对已知在非洲出现的16种披膜病毒科和布尼亚病毒科虫媒病毒的抗体。在16.5%的癫痫患者、36%的大多为年长者的家庭成员以及22%的对照者中发现了虫媒病毒抗体。男性和女性受影响程度相同，不同部落和语言群体也是如此。虽然已知虫媒病毒感染会导致伴有后遗症的脑膜脑炎，就像癫痫发作一样，但在利比里亚中部的这个地区，无法确定癫痫与先前的虫媒病毒感染之间存在关联。
