He commonest helminthic infection of the central nervous system and one of the most important causes of SP600125 dose secondary epilepsy worldwide.1,2 The disease is reported to cause between 20 and 50 of all late-onset epilepsy cases globally1,3? and is also assumed to be a common cause of juvenile epilepsy in certain parts of the world, in particular southern Africa.8?2 NCC is not only the major cause of acquired epilepsy/ epileptic seizures in many developing countries, but is also of increasing concern in northern/western countries due to globalisation and migration of infected people.13?degenerating cysticerci that no longer prevent the host’s immune response with resulting intense inflammation which may lead to clinical signs and symptoms. In stage 4, the cysticercus calcifies or resolves without scarring.Prevalence of NCC in Sub-Saharan Africa Suggested calculation of the prevalence rates of NCCIn sub-Saharan Africa, the presence of porcine cysticercosis is well established,11,20,21 but so far only few studies on human cysticercosis/NCC have been conducted.22 Studies in rural populations of Uganda, Zambia, and Burkina Faso and in an urban population of Tanzania, that are combining serology and neuroimaging data, are underway. A recent metaanalysis on the prevalence of NCC in people with epilepsy, including 12 studies mainly from Latin America, India and sub-Saharan Africa, found that NCC was the cause of epilepsy in almost 30 of people with epilepsy.23 If extrapolating the above result to the entire population of sub-Saharan Africa (approximately 850 million people)24 and assuming a prevalence of epilepsy of 4?3/1000,25,26 3.40?1.05 million people would suffer from epilepsy. In 2010, 631 776 908 people lived in the T. GSK-1605786 structure solium taeniosis/cysticercosis endemic areas of sub-Saharan Africa (endemic countries: WHO 2010;27 populations in these endemic countries: World Atlas 201028), yielding an epilepsy population of 2.53?.21 million. Thirty per cent of epilepsy in endemic regions is due to NCC,23 amounting to 0.76?.46 million people with epilepsyLife Cycle of Taenia solium cysticercus and Its Development in the BrainCysticercosis, a zoonotic disease, is caused by the larval stage (cysticercus) of the porcine tapeworm Taenia solium. The parasite’s life cycle is shown in Fig. 1. In humans, cysticerci are mainly found in the central nervous system (brain and spine), and in subcutaneous tissue, skeletal muscle, and the eye, whereas in pigs cysticerci mainly lodge in skeletal muscle.18 In the brain, immature cysticerci appear within some weeks after ingestion of T. solium eggs (stage 1). Stage 2 (some months after egg ingestion) is characterized by mature cysticerci with virtually no inflammatory response which may persist for many years. Eventually, after some years, asymptomatic stage 2 cysticerci develop into symptomatic stageCorrespondence to: A. S. Winkler, Technical University of Munich Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Email: [email protected]?W. S. Maney Son Ltd 2012 DOI 10.1179/2047773212Y.Pathogens and Global HealthVOL .NO .WinklerNeurocysticercosis in sub-Saharan AfricaFigure 1 Life cycle of Taenia solium cysticerci. Humans become infected with the adult worm by eating undercooked pork containing cysticerci and develop taeniosis (tapeworm infection) , . Tapeworm eggs or gravid proglottids are excreted from an infected human host into the environment and can be taken up by freely roaming pigs that develop porcine cysticercosis with cysticerci.He commonest helminthic infection of the central nervous system and one of the most important causes of secondary epilepsy worldwide.1,2 The disease is reported to cause between 20 and 50 of all late-onset epilepsy cases globally1,3? and is also assumed to be a common cause of juvenile epilepsy in certain parts of the world, in particular southern Africa.8?2 NCC is not only the major cause of acquired epilepsy/ epileptic seizures in many developing countries, but is also of increasing concern in northern/western countries due to globalisation and migration of infected people.13?degenerating cysticerci that no longer prevent the host’s immune response with resulting intense inflammation which may lead to clinical signs and symptoms. In stage 4, the cysticercus calcifies or resolves without scarring.Prevalence of NCC in Sub-Saharan Africa Suggested calculation of the prevalence rates of NCCIn sub-Saharan Africa, the presence of porcine cysticercosis is well established,11,20,21 but so far only few studies on human cysticercosis/NCC have been conducted.22 Studies in rural populations of Uganda, Zambia, and Burkina Faso and in an urban population of Tanzania, that are combining serology and neuroimaging data, are underway. A recent metaanalysis on the prevalence of NCC in people with epilepsy, including 12 studies mainly from Latin America, India and sub-Saharan Africa, found that NCC was the cause of epilepsy in almost 30 of people with epilepsy.23 If extrapolating the above result to the entire population of sub-Saharan Africa (approximately 850 million people)24 and assuming a prevalence of epilepsy of 4?3/1000,25,26 3.40?1.05 million people would suffer from epilepsy. In 2010, 631 776 908 people lived in the T. solium taeniosis/cysticercosis endemic areas of sub-Saharan Africa (endemic countries: WHO 2010;27 populations in these endemic countries: World Atlas 201028), yielding an epilepsy population of 2.53?.21 million. Thirty per cent of epilepsy in endemic regions is due to NCC,23 amounting to 0.76?.46 million people with epilepsyLife Cycle of Taenia solium cysticercus and Its Development in the BrainCysticercosis, a zoonotic disease, is caused by the larval stage (cysticercus) of the porcine tapeworm Taenia solium. The parasite’s life cycle is shown in Fig. 1. In humans, cysticerci are mainly found in the central nervous system (brain and spine), and in subcutaneous tissue, skeletal muscle, and the eye, whereas in pigs cysticerci mainly lodge in skeletal muscle.18 In the brain, immature cysticerci appear within some weeks after ingestion of T. solium eggs (stage 1). Stage 2 (some months after egg ingestion) is characterized by mature cysticerci with virtually no inflammatory response which may persist for many years. Eventually, after some years, asymptomatic stage 2 cysticerci develop into symptomatic stageCorrespondence to: A. S. Winkler, Technical University of Munich Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Email: [email protected]?W. S. Maney Son Ltd 2012 DOI 10.1179/2047773212Y.Pathogens and Global HealthVOL .NO .WinklerNeurocysticercosis in sub-Saharan AfricaFigure 1 Life cycle of Taenia solium cysticerci. Humans become infected with the adult worm by eating undercooked pork containing cysticerci and develop taeniosis (tapeworm infection) , . Tapeworm eggs or gravid proglottids are excreted from an infected human host into the environment and can be taken up by freely roaming pigs that develop porcine cysticercosis with cysticerci.