{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]],"date-time":"2026-09-26T05:30:42Z","timestamp":1790400642907,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,7]],"date-time":"2021-03-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1615075200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000781","name":"European Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["ERC 671055"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ERC 671055"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000781","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Neuro-inflammation may be associated with onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE) but thus far very few immunological studies have been performed in children with this form of epilepsy. In a pilot study we measured the cytokine levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of persons with OAE from Maridi, South Sudan, and from Mosango, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and compared these results with cytokine levels in CSF of Africans with non-OAE neurological disorders, and Europeans with epilepsy or other neurological conditions. The following cytokines were studied: IL-6, TNF-\u03b1, IL1-\u03b2, IL-5, IL-4, IL-13, CCL3 (Mip-1\u03b1), VEGF-C, VCAM-1. No cytokine was significantly associated with OAE, although a lower IL-13 level was observed in CSF of persons with OAE compared to African controls. Observed cytokine profiles and neuro-inflammation may be the consequence of long-standing epilepsy, concomitant infections and malnutrition. Ideally cytokine levels should be determined in a prospective study in serum and CSF collected at the time of onset of the first seizures.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens10030310","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,7]],"date-time":"2021-03-07T21:52:15Z","timestamp":1615153935000},"page":"310","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Cytokines and Onchocerciasis-Associated Epilepsy, a Pilot Study and Review of the Literature"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3967-4945","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Melissa Krizia","family":"Vieri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3356-4032","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"An","family":"Hotterbeekx","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium"},{"name":"Molecular Pathology Group, Laboratory of Cell Biology &amp; Histology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 20610 Antwerp, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stephen","family":"Raimon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Amref Health Africa, Juba P.O. Box 30125, South Sudan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gasim","family":"Abd-Elfarag","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Academic Medical Center, Global Child Health Group, Department of Paediatrics and Department of Global Health, University of Amsterdam, 1105 Amsterdam, The Netherlands"},{"name":"Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, 1105 Amsterdam, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Deby","family":"Mukendi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale, Av. De la D\u00e9mocratie N\u00b05345, Kinshasa 1197, Congo"},{"name":"Centre Neuro-Psycho Pathologique, Universite\u2019 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jane Y.","family":"Carter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Amref International Headquarters, Nairobi P.O. Box 27691\u221200506, Kenya"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Samir","family":"Kumar-Singh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Molecular Pathology Group, Laboratory of Cell Biology &amp; Histology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 20610 Antwerp, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1919-1340","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robert","family":"Colebunders","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Colebunders, R., Njamnshi, A.K., Menon, S., Newton, C.R., Hotterbeekx, A., Preux, P.-M., Hopkins, A., Vaillant, M., and Fodjo, J.N.S. (2021). 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