Garcia H H, Gilman R H, Catacora M, Verastegui M, Gonzalez A E, Tsang V C
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurologicas, A. B. PRISMA, Lima, Peru.
J Infect Dis. 1997 Feb;175(2):486-9. doi: 10.1093/infdis/175.2.486.
Neurocysticercosis is the main cause of acquired epilepsy in developing countries and is an emerging disease in the United States. Introduction of the immunoblot assay provided a new tool for the diagnosis and monitoring of neurocysticercosis. This study analyzed the relationship between clinical characteristics of cerebral infection (number and type of lesions) plus the baseline response on immunoblot and the changes observed after therapy. Reaction to all 7 diagnostic bands was associated with severe infection (more lesions). Seventeen patients (35%) had no active lesions on computed tomography (CT) 3 months after therapy and were considered cured. Although most cured patients remained seropositive after 1 year, 3 became seronegative before 9 months. In these 3 cases, the lesions had resolved on CT at 3 months. Persistent seropositivity does not necessarily indicate active infection. Serologic follow-up will be clinically helpful only in rare cases in which early antibody disappearance occurs.
神经囊尾蚴病是发展中国家后天性癫痫的主要病因，在美国也是一种新发疾病。免疫印迹法的引入为神经囊尾蚴病的诊断和监测提供了一种新工具。本研究分析了脑部感染的临床特征（病变数量和类型）加上免疫印迹的基线反应与治疗后观察到的变化之间的关系。对所有7条诊断带的反应与严重感染（更多病变）相关。17例患者（35%）在治疗3个月后计算机断层扫描（CT）显示无活动性病变，被认为已治愈。尽管大多数治愈患者在1年后仍为血清学阳性，但有3例在9个月前转为血清学阴性。在这3例中，病变在3个月时CT显示已消退。持续血清学阳性不一定表明存在活动性感染。血清学随访仅在罕见的早期抗体消失的情况下对临床有帮助。
