[Contribution of immunofluorescent reactions in the cerebrospinal fluid to the study of neurocysticercosis].

The most important immunobiological aspects of neurocysticercosis and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) syndrome in this disease are reviewed. A study was made of 1.577 samples of CSF from 1.282 patients who suffered from several diseases of central nervous system. They were divided in 3 groups: 1- 459 patients with normal results of CSF tests; 2- 600 patients with pathological CSF, but with immunological reactions non-reactive; 3- 233 patients divided in 8 sub-groups according the results of the immunological reactions. CSF immunofluorescent reactions for syphilis (FTA-Abs). cysticercosis and toxoplasmosis were analysed. Results obtained showed that immunofluorescent reaction for cysticercosis has the same sensitivity and especificity as the complement fixation test, but, not considering those samples who showed delay in hemolisys of the complement fixation test, the immunofluorescent reaction showed significative, better results, as occurs, with the FTA-Abs in syphilis. The agreement between the results of the immunofluorescent reaction and complement fixation in CSF contributes for a better security to the immunodiagnosis of cysticercosis and is particularly useful in those cases in which the complement fixation test in anti-complementary. The positive of immunofluorescent reaction for cysticercosis in CSF must be incorporated to the CSF syndrome of the disease and contributes to the immunobiological studies of the disease.