NEUROCYSTICERCOSIS - A MAJOR ETIOLOGIC FACTOR OF LATE-ONSET EPILEPSY IN MADAGASCAR

To assess the impact of cysticercosis on public health in Madagascar, we compared patients > 15 years with late-onset epilepsy to non-epilep tic controls in a matched case-control study. The association between epilepsy and cysticercosis was studied by enzyme-linked immunoelectrot ransfer blot (EITB) assay for antibodies specific to Taenia solium. Th e EITB assay was performed on 104 pairs of sera specimens and on 95 pa irs of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens. Depending on whether we co nsider the results obtained from sera or from CSF, we obtain for the p opulation attributable risk percent of cysticercosis in late-onset epi lepsy two slightly different estimates: 22.3% and 17.6%. Therefore cys ticercosis is a major aetiological factor of late-onset epilepsy in Ma dagascar. In the control group, the frequency of positive results, esp ecially in CSF specimens (7.4%), confirms the existence of asymptomati c cases of neurocysticercosis.