Cysticercosis is caused by the larvae of the cestode Taenia solium. Few data are available on the prevalence of this disease in pigs and humans in West African countries. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of existing data concerning the spread of this parasitosis in the countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the basis of the literature published over the last five decades. Systematic searches for publications were carried out on PubMed and Google Scholar, as well as in certain regional and local journals. From a total of 501 articles initially retrieved concerning T. solium cysticercosis in West African countries, only 120 articles were relevant for this review and therefore finally retained. For pigs, only eight out of sixteen countries of the region have reported porcine cysticercosis. Post-mortem examination of carcasses at slaughterhouses, meat inspection at butcheries or tongue inspection in herds have been the main source of data, but may not entirely reflect actual parasite distribution. For humans, only five out of sixteen countries reported epidemiological data on neurocysticercosis. Most data referred to neurocysticercosis prevalence among epileptic patients or isolated clinical cases. Furthermore, existing data are often old. Overall, T. solium cysticercosis remains largely neglected in West Africa, and its prevalence appears not to be affected by any religion in particular. There is an urgent need to promote and implement health partnerships and programs on this disease in order to collect more data and identify sensitive populations in the countries of the ECOWAS area.

Cysticercosis is one of the main causes of secondary epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa. To estimate the seroprevalence of cysticercosis among epileptic patients, we conducted a cross-sectional study of patients attending neurology consultation in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Methods: Patients’ socio-demographic and lifestyle data were collected as well as blood samples for serological testing using ELISA and Western blot based on IgG antibodies detection. For qualitative variables comparison, Chi2 or Fisher tests were used; a Student’s t-test was used to compare quantitative variables. A multivariate logistic regression model was fit to identify risks factors. Results: Among 403 epileptic patients included in the study, 55.3% were male; the median age was 16.9 years; 77% lived in Abidjan; 26.5% were workers. Most patients included in the study had tonic-clonic seizures (80%), and 11.2% had focal deficit signs. The seroprevalence of cysticercosis was 6.0%. The risk was higher in patients over 30 years old (aOR = 5.1 (1.3–20.0)) than in patients under 16. The risk was also considerably high in patients who reported epileptics in the family (aOR = 5 (1.7–14.6)). The risk was three-fold less in females than in males. Conclusions: This study highlighted the exposure of epileptic patients to Taenia solium larvae in an urban area. The risk of positive serology was increased with age, male gender, and family history of epilepsy.

No abstract

In West africa, pig meat know as pork is often supplied by traditional farms in rural areas. This pratice causes important sanitary risk by lack of veterinary control of farms and slaughterhouses in rural areas. The objective of this study was to describe pig husbandry practices used in southern Côte d'Ivoire in order to establish a surveillance system for cysticercosis disease. This survey was carried out among traditional pig breeders living in villages of the district of Dabou, Aboisso and Agboville. The data collected focused on the profile of producers and on the characteristics of the farms. A total of 321 breeders have been identified (Dabou 72 (22.4%), Aboisso 26 (8.1%) and Agboville 223 (69.5%)). Most of the herders were male (87.8%). A total of 3663 heads of pigs were counted with a majority of young pigs (60.2%) and females (29.3%) for 10.5% of male breeders. The local race was predominant (80.6 %) for only 15.5% of half-caste races. Most of the farms used permanent divagation rearing (53.3%). Following investigation of the herds, pigs were randomly samples in all the villages of the three areas using quota methods. Animals were blood sampled and serums were analyzed using Ac-ELISA and Western Blot. Among 639 animals selected, 13,20 % had antibodies against cysticercosis with large variations from one village to another. The study highlights that, in this region, pig farming remains essentially traditional, with free grazing of animals which constitutes a major sanitary risk especially for Taenia solium.

BackgroundIn West Africa, pig meat, known as pork, is often supplied by traditional farms in rural districts. This practice causes significant sanitary risk because of the lack of veterinary control of farms and slaughterhouses in rural districts. This study aims to describe pig breeding practices used in southern Côte d'Ivoire to establish a surveillance system for cysticercosis disease. This survey was conducted among traditional pig producers living in villages surrounding Dabou, Aboisso, and Agboville. The data collected focused on the profile of producers and the characteristics of the farms.ResultsA total of 321 pig producers were identified (Dabou 72 (22.4%), Aboisso 26 (8.1%), and Agboville 223 (69.5%)). Most of the herders were male (87.8%). The total count of animals was 3,663 heads of pigs, with mostly youngpiglets (60.2%) and sow (29.3%). The local race was predominant (80.6 %) for only 15.5% of half-caste races. Most of the farms used permanent divagation rearing (53.3%). Following examination, random samples of pigs were tracked in all the selected villages using the quota methods. Animals' blood samples and serums were analyzed using Ac-ELISA and Western Blot. Out of the selected 639 animals, 13.2 % had antibodies against cysticercosis with considerable variations from one village to another.ConclusionsThe study highlighted that, in these regions, pig farming remains essentially traditional, with free grazing of animals, which constitutes a significant sanitary risk, especially for Taenia solium.

No abstract

No abstract

: Background : porcine cysticercosis is an endemic parasitic zoonosis in many developing countries. The objective was to estimate the seroprevalence of porcine cysticercosis in traditional pig farms in the departments of Dabou, Aboisso and Agboville where blood samples were taken from pigs and analyzed by ELISA (IgG) and western blot. Data on farming practices and pig characteristics were collected. Categorical variables were compared with the Chi2 test and continuous variables with the Student test. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to identify risk factors. Results: A total of 668 pigs were sampled from 116 farms. The seroprevalence of cysticercosis was estimated at 13.2%. Overweight [ORa=2.6; 95%CI(1.3-4.9)] and fat pigs [ORa=2.3; 95%CI(1.0-4.8)] were twice as likely to be seropositive for cysticercosis. This risk was increased in farms using well water for drinking [aOR=2.5; 95%CI(1.0-6.3)] as well as those reporting veterinary care of the animals (ORa=2.9; 95%CI (1.2-7.3)). Conclusions: This study demonstrated the circulation of T. solium in pig farms in southern Côte d'Ivoire.