University Teaching Hospital, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Lusaka, Zambia.
Ministry of Home Affairs, Office of the State Forensic Pathologist, Lusaka, Zambia; UNZA-UCLMS, PANDORA-ID-NET and HERPEZ R&D Program, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.
Int J Infect Dis. 2022 Feb;115:195-200. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.11.042. Epub 2021 Dec 8.
Cysticercosis is a World Health Organization designated neglected human zoonosis worldwide. Data on cardiac cysticercosis and its contribution to sudden and unexpected community deaths are scarce and require study.
A study was performed of cysticercosis-related deaths and other incidental cases of cysticercosis seen at forensic post-mortem examination over a period of 12 months, in individuals who died suddenly and unexpectedly in the community in Lusaka, Zambia. Whole-body post-mortem examinations were performed according to standard operating procedures for post-mortem examinations. Representative samples were obtained from all body organs and subjected to histopathological examination. Information was obtained on circumstances surrounding the death. Data were collated on patient demographics, history, co-morbidities, pathological gross and microscopic findings, and forensic autopsy cause(s) of death. The available literature on cardiac cysticercosis was also reviewed.
Nine cases of cysticercosis were identified. Eight of the nine cases had cardiac cysticercosis. There was no prior history of cysticercosis before death. All were male, aged between 28 and 56 years, and from high population density and low socioeconomic communities. There was no community case clustering identified.
Cardiac cysticercosis and neurocysticercosis are important incidental findings in sudden and unexpected deaths in the community and can easily be missed antemortem. More investment in forensic autopsy services is required to define the undiagnosed burden of deaths due to treatable communicable diseases.
囊虫病是世界卫生组织在全球范围内指定的被忽视的人类动物源性传染病。关于心脏囊虫病及其对突发和意外社区死亡的贡献的数据很少，需要研究。
对赞比亚卢萨卡社区中突然和意外死亡的个体进行了为期 12 个月的法医尸检中与囊虫病相关的死亡和其他偶然发现的囊虫病病例研究。根据尸检标准操作程序对全身体检进行了检查。从所有身体器官中获取代表性样本，并进行组织病理学检查。获取与死亡情况相关的信息。收集患者人口统计学、病史、合并症、病理大体和显微镜检查结果以及法医尸检死因的信息。还回顾了有关心脏囊虫病的现有文献。
确定了 9 例囊虫病病例。这 9 例中有 8 例患有心脏囊虫病。死前没有囊虫病的既往病史。所有患者均为男性，年龄在 28 至 56 岁之间，来自人口密度高且社会经济水平低的社区。未发现社区病例聚集。
心脏囊虫病和神经囊虫病是社区中突发和意外死亡的重要偶发发现，生前很容易被忽视。需要更多投资于法医尸检服务，以确定因可治疗的传染病而未确诊的死亡负担。
