Population Screening for Urine Antigens to Detect Asymptomatic Subarachnoid Neurocysticercosis: A Pilot Study in Northern Peru

Ellen McCleery, Samantha E. Allen, Luz Maria Moyano, Ricardo Gamboa, Percy Vilchez, Claudio Muro, Yesenia Castillo, Pierre Dorny, Hector H. Garcia, Seth E. O’Neal

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Subarachnoid neurocysticercosis (SANCC) is a severe and progressive brain infection with Taenia solium. We performed a pilot study of noninvasive screening for SANCC in two endemic villages in northern Peru using a urine antigen screen followed by brain magnetic resonance imaging for participants with elevated levels of antigen. Among the 978 participants screened, we identified eight individuals with SANCC, many of whom were asymptomatic. This represents a minimum prevalence of 0.8% of SANCC, a level higher than expected based on prior studies, and a positive predictive value of 62% for our novel urine screening test. Future studies should confirm whether early detection and management improve clinical outcomes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1125-1128
Number of pages4
JournalAmerican Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume103
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Parasitology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Virology

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