ArticleInternational journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases2020
Onchocerca volvulus is not detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of persons with onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy.
Article in International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Doxycycline for the treatment of nodding syndrome: a randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial.The Lancet. Global health · 2024Trial
- Nodding Syndrome: The Need to Strengthen Epilepsy Care in Onchocerciasis-Endemic Areas and to Investigate the Pathogenesis of Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2026Article
- Article
- Performance of novel onchocerciasis rapid diagnostic tests in a field setting in South Sudan.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Cameroonian blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae) harbour a plethora of RNA viruses.Virus evolution · 2025Article
- Active infection with Onchocerca volvulus and the linkage to epilepsy/nodding syndrome.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Review
- Epilepsy and nodding syndrome in association with an Onchocerca volvulus infection drive distinct immune profile patterns.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Article
- An Overview towards Zebrafish Larvae as a Model for Ocular Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Epileptogenesis in Common Parasitic Infections.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2022Review
- Neuroimmunology of Common Parasitic Infections in Africa.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Review
- Nodding Syndrome: A Scoping Review.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2021Article
- Molecular Docking Simulation Studies Identifies Potential Natural Product Derived-Antiwolbachial Compounds as Filaricides against Onchocerciasis.Biomedicines · 2021Article
- Risk Factors for Nodding Syndrome and Other Forms of Epilepsy in Northern Uganda: A Case-Control Study.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- No Evidence for the Involvement of Leiomodin-1 Antibodies in the Pathogenesis of Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- No Evidence Known Viruses Play a Role in the Pathogenesis of Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy. An Explorative Metagenomic Case-Control Study.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Serotonin Levels in the Serum of Persons with Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy: A Case-Control Study.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Potential Parasitic Causes of Epilepsy in an Onchocerciasis Endemic Area in the Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Cytokines and Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy, a Pilot Study and Review of the Literature.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Response to: 'Nodding syndrome, many questions remain but we can prevent it by eliminating onchocerciasis'.Brain communications · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 7 institutions in 8 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesEpidemiological evidence links onchocerciasis with the development of epilepsy. The aim of this study was to detect Onchocerca volvulus microfilariae or its bacterial endosymbiont, Wolbachia, in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of persons with onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE).
methodsThirteen persons with OAE and O. volvulus skin snip densities of >80 microfilariae were recruited in Maridi County (South Sudan) and their CSF obtained. Cytospin centrifuged preparations of CSF were examined by light microscopy for the presence of O. volvulus microfilariae. DNA was extracted from CSF to detect O. volvulus (O-150 repeat) by quantitative real-time PCR, and Wolbachia (FtsZ gene) by standard PCR. To further investigate whether CSF from onchocerciasis-infected participants could induce seizures, 3- and 7-day old zebrafish larvae were injected with the CSF intracardially and intraperitoneally, respectively. For other zebrafish larvae, CSF was added directly to the larval medium.
resultsNo microfilariae, parasite DNA, or Wolbachia DNA were detected in any of the CSF samples by light microscopy or PCR. All zebrafish survived the procedures and none developed seizures.
conclusionsThe absence of O. volvulus in the CSF suggests that OAE is likely not caused by direct parasite invasion into the central nervous system, but by another phenomenon triggered by O. volvulus infection.
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