Use of ProteinChip technology for identifying biomarkers of parasitic diseases: The example of porcine cysticercosis (Taenia solium)

Abstract Background Neurocysticercosis caused by Taenia solium when the parasite lodges in the central nervous system, is an important cause of human seizures and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The parasite is prevalent in many regions of Uganda. Pigs are intermediate hosts for T. solium, and we evaluated a T. solium control program in pigs, involving vaccination of pigs with the TSOL18 vaccine and treatment with oxfendazole. Methods The study was conducted in two districts of Eastern Uganda involving the rural village communities of Bukedea (intervention area) and Kumi (control area) during 2016–2017. Seven hundred and thirty-four households were enrolled in the study. Pigs in the intervention area received intramuscular immunizations with TSOL18 (Cysvax™) and an oral medication with 30 mg/kg oxfendazole (Paranthic™) at approximately 3-monthly intervals for 18 months. Porcine cysticercosis was evaluated by post-mortem examination. At the beginning of the study, 111 pigs were examined. In an interim evaluation in the intervention area, 55 pigs were evaluated 12 months after starting the project. At the end of the study approximately 3 months after the final intervention, 55 pigs from the intervention area and 56 pigs from the control area were evaluated. Results The prevalence of porcine cysticercosis for the two sites was 16.2% at the beginning of the study (17.2% in the intervention area and 15.1% in the control area) with no statistically significant difference (P = 0.759) between the two study sites. Among the 110 animals assessed from the intervention site (55 at the interim evaluation and 55 at the final evaluation), no pig with viable T. solium cysts was found. There was a statistically significant difference between the prevalence at baseline (17.2%) and at the end of the study (0%) in the intervention area (P = 0.001) and a statistically significant difference between the intervention (0%) and control areas (5.4%) (P = 0.041) at the end of the study. Conclusions Three-monthly concurrent vaccination of pigs with the TSOL18 vaccine and medication with oxfendazole eliminated T. solium transmission by the animals involved in the study. Application of vaccination with medication in pigs has the potential to reduce transmission of T. solium in Uganda and other endemic countries.

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Immunodiagnosis of human neurocysticercosis by using semi-purified scolex antigens from Taenia solium cysticerci

Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical ◽

10.1590/s0037-86822007000200004 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

pp. 163-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Francesco Iudici Neto ◽

Geraldo Pianetti-Filho ◽

Ricardo Nascimento Araújo ◽

Evaldo Nascimento

Keyword(s):

Sensitivity And Specificity ◽

Excellent Agreement ◽

Taenia Solium ◽

Polyacrylamide Gel ◽

Parasitic Diseases ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Serological Screening ◽

Crude Antigen ◽

Normal Individuals ◽

Confirmatory Tests

Crude antigen and semi-purified proteins from scolices of Taenia solium cysticerci were evaluated for the immunodiagnosis of human neurocysticercosis neurocysticercosis. Semi-purified proteins obtained by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel and by electroelution were tested by means of the immunoenzymatic reaction against sera from normal individuals and from patients with neurocysticercosis or other parasitic diseases. The 100kDa protein provided 100% sensitivity and specificity in the immunodiagnosis. When 95 or 26kDa proteins were used, 95 and 100% sensitivity and specificity were obtained, respectively. The assays involving crude antigen and sera from normal individuals or from patients with neurocysticercosis, diluted to 1:256, gave excellent agreement with those in which 100, 95 or 26kDa proteins were tested against the same serum samples diluted to 1:64. (Kappa: 0.95 to 1.00). Crude scolex antigen may be useful for serological screening, while 100, 95 or 26kDa protein can be used in confirmatory tests on neurocysticercosis-positive cases.

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Lymphocyte apoptosis in the inflammatory reaction around Taenia solium metacestodes in porcine cysticercosis

Veterinary Parasitology ◽

10.1016/j.vetpar.2006.03.006 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 140 (1-2) ◽

pp. 171-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Sandra Solano ◽

Isabel M. Cortés ◽

Natalia I. Copitin ◽

Patricia Tato ◽

José L. Molinari

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Reaction ◽

Taenia Solium ◽

Lymphocyte Apoptosis ◽

Porcine Cysticercosis

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Occurrence of porcine cysticercosis in free-ranging pigs delivered to slaughter points in Arapai, Soroti district, Uganda

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research ◽

10.4102/ojvr.v82i1.888 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 82 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gerald Zirintunda ◽

Justine Ekou

Keyword(s):

Waste Disposal ◽

Taenia Solium ◽

Postmortem Examination ◽

Human Waste ◽

Free Range ◽

Porcine Cysticercosis ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

Free Ranging ◽

Eastern Uganda

Poverty, hunger and the need for production of pigs with meagre or zero inputs have made most farmers release their pigs to range freely, thus creating a pig-human cycle that maintains Taenia solium, the pig tapeworm and cause of porcine cysticercosis, in the ecosystem. A preliminary study was designed to establish the prevalence of porcine cysticercosis by postmortem examination of the tongue and carcass of free-range pigs from February to April 2014 in Arapai subcounty, Soroti district, eastern Uganda. The tongue of each pig was extended and examined before deep incisions were made and the cut surfaces were examined. The rest of the carcasses were examined for cysts. Out of 178 pigs examined, 32 were qualitatively positive for porcine cysticercosis, representing a prevalence of 18.0%. This high prevalence represents a marked risk to the communities in the study area of neurocysticercosis, a debilitating parasitic zoonosis. Proper human waste disposal by use of pit latrines, confinement of free-range pigs and treatment with albendazole and oxfendazole are recommended.

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Characterization of a novel cathepsin L-like protease from Taenia solium metacestodes for the immunodiagnosis of porcine cysticercosis

Veterinary Parasitology ◽

10.1016/j.vetpar.2019.01.004 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 267 ◽

pp. 9-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nancy León-Janampa ◽

Ruddy Liendo ◽

Robert H. Gilman ◽

Carlos Padilla ◽

Hector H. García ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cathepsin L ◽

Taenia Solium ◽

Porcine Cysticercosis

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Porcine cysticercosis in slaughtered pigs and factors related to Taenia solium transmission amongst abattoir workers in Ibadan, Nigeria

Pan African Medical Journal ◽

10.11604/pamj.2019.32.145.10695 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hezekiah Kehinde Adesokan ◽

Fiyinfoluwa Adedolapo Adeoye

Keyword(s):

Taenia Solium ◽

Porcine Cysticercosis ◽

Abattoir Workers ◽

Slaughtered Pigs ◽

Ibadan Nigeria

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Taenia solium Prevalence in Nepal: A Retrospective Review

Nepalese Veterinary Journal ◽

10.3126/nvj.v36i0.27761 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 36 ◽

pp. 98-104

Author(s):

B. K C ◽

K. Kaphle

Keyword(s):

Intestinal Parasites ◽

Taenia Solium ◽

Accurate Diagnosis ◽

Striated Muscles ◽

Porcine Cysticercosis ◽

Cestode Parasite ◽

Close Proximity ◽

Affected Tissue ◽

First Time ◽

The Brain

Taenia solium is a zoonotic cestode parasite which causes cysticercosis in human and porcine cysticercosis in pigs. The infective stage of T. solium develops in pig while that of T. saginata develop in cattle and buffalo. The adult stages of T. solium are obligatory intestinal parasites for man. In humans the cysticercus larvae commonly encyst in the brain, causing neurocysticercosis. The disease was first described in pig by Aristophanes and Aristotle in 3rd century B.C. In Nepal, Taenia cysts were observed for first time in pork meat slaughtered in Kangeswari, Kathmandu more than 30 years ago. T. solium is the cause of 30% of epilepsy cases in many endemic areas where people and roaming pigs live in close proximity. More than 50 million of the world’s populations are infected worldwide and 50000 die from Neurocysticercosis yearly. In Nepal, the prevalence ranges from 0.002-0.1% in general population. Accurate diagnosis required detailed post mortem examination involving slicing of affected tissue to determine the viability of cysts. Cysticerci occur most commonly in striated muscles tissues and brain of pigs. The application of vaccination with TSOL18 recombinant vaccine along with oral medication of oxfendazole can reduces the transmission by pigs whereas use of niclosamide is found effective in humans. Hence the use of medication eventually reduces the incidence of neurocysticercosis in human and procine cysticercosis in pigs.

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Taenia solium Cysticercosis and Its Impact in Neurological Disease

Clinical Microbiology Reviews ◽

10.1128/cmr.00085-19 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hector H. Garcia ◽

Armando E. Gonzalez ◽

Robert H. Gilman

Keyword(s):

Taenia Solium ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Brain Inflammation ◽

Inflammation Research ◽

Content Type ◽

Molecular Assays ◽

Genome Data ◽

Porcine Cysticercosis ◽

Neurological Morbidity ◽

And Control

SUMMARY Taenia solium neurocysticercosis (NCC) is endemic in most of the world and contributes significantly to the burden of epilepsy and other neurological morbidity. Also present in developed countries because of immigration and travel, NCC is one of few diseases targeted for eradication. This paper reviews all aspects of its life cycle (taeniasis, porcine cysticercosis, human cysticercosis), with a focus on recent advances in its diagnosis, management, and control. Diagnosis of taeniasis is limited by poor availability of immunological or molecular assays. Diagnosis of NCC rests on neuroimaging findings, supported by serological assays. The treatment of NCC should be approached in the context of the particular type of infection (intra- or extraparenchymal; number, location, and stage of lesions) and has evolved toward combined symptomatic and antiparasitic management, with particular attention to modulating inflammation. Research on NCC and particularly the use of recently available genome data and animal models of infection should help to elucidate mechanisms of brain inflammation, damage, and epileptogenesis.

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