%0 Journal Article
%T Seroprevalence of Cysticercosis in Children and Young Adults Living in a Helminth Endemic Community in Leyte, the Philippines
%A Jin-Mei Xu
%A Luz P. Acosta
%A Min Hou
%A Daria L. Manalo
%A Mario Jiz
%A Blanca Jarilla
%A Archie O. Pablo
%A Remigio M. Ovleda
%A Gretchen Langdon
%A Stephen T. McGarvey
%A Jonathan D. Kurtis
%A Jennifer F. Friedman
%A Hai-Wei Wu
%J Journal of Tropical Medicine
%D 2010
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2010/603174
%X Cysticercosis is a significant public health problem in countries where pigs are raised for consumption and remains an important cause of neurological disease worldwide. The Philippines is considered an endemic area for cysticercosis because cases in both humans and pigs have been reported; however, epidemiologic information stays limited. We conducted a pilot survey of the seroprevalence of human cysticercosis in a village in Leyte, the Philippines, by measuring antibody specific for Taenia solium cyst-fluid antigen. There were 497 subjects aged 7¨C30 years in our study and most subjects were infected with one or more helminths. The overall cysticercosis seroprevalence in this population was 24.6% (95% CI: 20.82% ~ 28.58%) with no significant difference based on age, sex, or other helminth coinfection status. Although the sample may not be representative of the whole community, the findings suggest that cysticercosis is a significant, but underrecognized public health concern in the Philippines. 1. Introduction Human cysticercosis is caused by infection with the larvae (cysticerci) of Taenia solium, a cestode (tapeworm) transmitted among humans and between humans and pigs. Humans acquire tapeworm infection from eating raw or undercooked pork meat containing T. solium cysticerci. When ingested, cysticerci are activated by stomach acid, pass into the duodenum, and develop into adult tapeworms. The tapeworm body consists of many proglottids, each containing approximately 50,000¨C60,000 eggs [1]. Both humans and pigs can develop cysticercosis if they ingest T. solium eggs passed in human stool directly, or from consumption of food or water contaminated with eggs (fecal-oral transmission). Human cysticercosis can also occur by autoinoculation or reverse peristalsis of eggs in individuals with T. solium tapeworms [2]. The clinical presentation of cysticercosis is nonspecific and varies depending on the location, number, and stage of cysts. The most frequently reported locations are skin, skeletal muscle, heart, eye, and most importantly, the central nervous system, causing neurocysticercosis (NCC) [3¨C7]. Cysticercosis is endemic in Africa, Asia, and Latin America [8]. It is mainly transmitted in areas where pigs range freely, sanitation is poor, human feces are used as fertilizer, education is low, and meat inspection is absent or inadequate, and thus is strongly associated with poverty and smallholder farming. In recent years, a growing number of cysticercosis cases have been reported in more developed countries as a result of increasing migration and tourism
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jtm/2010/603174/