Concomitant Parenchymal, Subarachnoid, and Ventricular Neurocysticercosis in Rome, Italy: A Case Report with a 4-Year Follow-Up
Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is caused by the larval stage of <i>Taenia solium</i>. This parasitic disease is endemic in many areas of the world and is emerging in Europe. NCC can affect different brain regions, but simultaneous involvement of the parenchymal, subarachnoid, and ventricular regions is rare. We report the case of a 39-year-old woman from Honduras, resident in Rome for 10 years, who presented to the Emergency Department complaining of headaches, transient hemianopsia, and bilateral papilledema. MRI showed a concomitant parenchymal, subarachnoid, and ventricular involvement in the brain. <i>T. solium</i> IgG antibodies were detected in the blood. The etiological diagnosis of NCC was obtained by identifying <i>T. solium</i> in cerebrospinal fluid using Next Generation Sequencing. Endoscopic neurosurgery with the placement of a ventricular shunt and medical long-term anti-parasitic treatment with a cumulative number of 463 days of albendazole and 80 days of praziquantel were performed. A successful 4-year follow-up is reported. NCC is one of the most common parasitic infections of the human CNS, but it is still a neglected tropical disease and is considered to be an emerging disease in Europe. Its diagnosis and clinical management remain a challenge, especially for European clinicians.
Authors
- Angela Corpolongo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6235-3934)
- Shalom Haggiag (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5569-4121)
- Barbara Bartolini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3882-3996)
- Claudio Gasperini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3959-4067)
- Carla Fontana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2198-1947)
- Pierluigi Galizia
- Héctor H. Garcı́a (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4633-6269)
- Emanuele Nicastri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5606-8712)
- Agazio Menniti
- Maria Letizia Giancola (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2481-6621)
- Antonella Vulcano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0023-9658)
- Paolo Campioni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7275-7358)
- Elise M. O’Connell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9425-2011)
- Alessandro Stasolla (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4290-5919)
- Andrea Mariano
- Theodore E. Nash (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4619-0068)
Institutions
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (PE)
- Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IT)
- Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo-Forlanini (IT)
- Center for Prevention and Treatment of Infections (US)
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (US)
- Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IT)
- Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Neurológicas
Publication Details
- Journal
- Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
- Published
- 2024-08-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9080187
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Parasitic infections in humans and animals
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.27