Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Cysticercosis in Mexican Americans in Starr County, Texas
Cysticercosis is a parasitic infection and neglected tropical disease caused by <i>Taenia solium</i>, or the pork tapeworm. Cysticercosis with central nervous system involvement, or neurocysticercosis, is a leading cause of chronic headaches and epilepsy in endemic regions, including Lat...
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2024-11-01
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| author | Megan M. Duffey Elise M. O’Connell Morgan Jibowu Fanny E. Moron Lauren M. Leining Nina L. Tang Craig L. Hanis Eric L. Brown Sarah M. Gunter |
| author_facet | Megan M. Duffey Elise M. O’Connell Morgan Jibowu Fanny E. Moron Lauren M. Leining Nina L. Tang Craig L. Hanis Eric L. Brown Sarah M. Gunter |
| author_sort | Megan M. Duffey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cysticercosis is a parasitic infection and neglected tropical disease caused by <i>Taenia solium</i>, or the pork tapeworm. Cysticercosis with central nervous system involvement, or neurocysticercosis, is a leading cause of chronic headaches and epilepsy in endemic regions, including Latin America and Asia. In the United States, the epidemiology of cysticercosis has not been well described. We conducted a cross-section serosurvey of Mexican-American adults residing along the Texas–Mexico border (Starr County, Texas) and identified an overall seroprevalence of 7.4% (45/605) for cysticercosis. Brain imaging studies conducted on seropositive study participants identified lesions consistent with calcified neurocysticercosis in 2 of the 45 seropositive individuals. Female sex (<i>p</i> = 0.021), employment in healthcare, caregiving, or social service (<i>p</i> = 0.002), and indoor occupation (<i>p</i> < 0.001) were found to be significantly associated with seropositivity. Further study is needed to evaluate the burden of neurocysticercosis and local transmission risk in this community. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj-art-b10b20a1a3dc44c6a8d552814d27f65f2025-08-20T01:53:54ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172024-11-01131198810.3390/pathogens13110988Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Cysticercosis in Mexican Americans in Starr County, TexasMegan M. Duffey0Elise M. O’Connell1Morgan Jibowu2Fanny E. Moron3Lauren M. Leining4Nina L. Tang5Craig L. Hanis6Eric L. Brown7Sarah M. Gunter8Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USALaboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USANational School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USADepartment of Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USANational School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USALaboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USAHuman Genetics Center, Department of Epidemiology, University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX 77030, USACenter for Infectious Disease, Department of Epidemiology, University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX 77030, USANational School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USACysticercosis is a parasitic infection and neglected tropical disease caused by <i>Taenia solium</i>, or the pork tapeworm. Cysticercosis with central nervous system involvement, or neurocysticercosis, is a leading cause of chronic headaches and epilepsy in endemic regions, including Latin America and Asia. In the United States, the epidemiology of cysticercosis has not been well described. We conducted a cross-section serosurvey of Mexican-American adults residing along the Texas–Mexico border (Starr County, Texas) and identified an overall seroprevalence of 7.4% (45/605) for cysticercosis. Brain imaging studies conducted on seropositive study participants identified lesions consistent with calcified neurocysticercosis in 2 of the 45 seropositive individuals. Female sex (<i>p</i> = 0.021), employment in healthcare, caregiving, or social service (<i>p</i> = 0.002), and indoor occupation (<i>p</i> < 0.001) were found to be significantly associated with seropositivity. Further study is needed to evaluate the burden of neurocysticercosis and local transmission risk in this community.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/13/11/988taeniasistropical medicinecysticercosisneurocysticercosiscestode infections |
| spellingShingle | Megan M. Duffey Elise M. O’Connell Morgan Jibowu Fanny E. Moron Lauren M. Leining Nina L. Tang Craig L. Hanis Eric L. Brown Sarah M. Gunter Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Cysticercosis in Mexican Americans in Starr County, Texas Pathogens taeniasis tropical medicine cysticercosis neurocysticercosis cestode infections |
| title | Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Cysticercosis in Mexican Americans in Starr County, Texas |
| title_full | Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Cysticercosis in Mexican Americans in Starr County, Texas |
| title_fullStr | Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Cysticercosis in Mexican Americans in Starr County, Texas |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Cysticercosis in Mexican Americans in Starr County, Texas |
| title_short | Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Cysticercosis in Mexican Americans in Starr County, Texas |
| title_sort | seroprevalence and risk factors for cysticercosis in mexican americans in starr county texas |
| topic | taeniasis tropical medicine cysticercosis neurocysticercosis cestode infections |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/13/11/988 |
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