{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T01:53:09Z","timestamp":1760233989533,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,18]],"date-time":"2021-03-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1616025600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Fondi Ricerca Corrente","award":["L3P1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["L3P1"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000781","name":"European Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["671055"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["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>A high burden of epilepsy is observed in Africa where parasitological infections are endemic. In 2016, in an Onchocerciasis endemic area in the Logo health zone, in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a door-to-door study showed an epilepsy prevalence of 4.6%, and 50.6% of persons with epilepsy were infected with Onchocerca volvulus. In the current study, the serum of 195 people infected with O. volvulus persons with epilepsy were tested to determine the proportion of co-infections with Taenia solium, Toxocara canis and Strongyloides. These proportions were, respectively, 8.2, 18.5 and 12.8%. Persons with a T. solium co-infection were older than those without co-infection (p = 0.021). In six (37.5%) of the T. solium co-infected persons, the first seizures appeared after the age of 30 years compared to three (2.1%) persons without a co-infection (p &lt; 0.0001). Our study suggests that an O. volvulus infection is the main parasitic cause of epilepsy in the Ituri province, but in some persons, mainly in those with late onset epilepsy and with focal seizures, the epilepsy may be caused by neurocysticercosis. As the population in the area rears pigs, activities to limit T. solium transmission should be implemented.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens10030359","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,18]],"date-time":"2021-03-18T22:19:36Z","timestamp":1616105976000},"page":"359","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Potential Parasitic Causes of Epilepsy in an Onchocerciasis Endemic Area in the Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo"],"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":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michel","family":"Mandro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division Provincial de la Sant\u00e9, P.O. Box 57, Ituri, Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6880-2753","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chiara Simona","family":"Cardellino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology (DITM), IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella (Verona), Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Pierantonio","family":"Orza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology (DITM), IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella (Verona), Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Niccol\u00f2","family":"Ronzoni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology (DITM), IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella (Verona), Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3544-1239","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joseph Nelson","family":"Siewe Fodjo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp (Belgium) and Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN), P.O. Box 25625, Yaound\u00e9, Cameroon"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"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"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"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":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"235","DOI":"10.1016\/j.yebeh.2018.11.033","article-title":"Parasites and epilepsy: Understanding the determinants of epileptogenesis","volume":"92","author":"Angwafor","year":"2019","journal-title":"Epilepsy Behav."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1528-1167.2008.01752.x","article-title":"Cerebral malaria and epilepsy","volume":"49","author":"Ngoungou","year":"2008","journal-title":"Epilepsia"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"261","DOI":"10.1179\/2047773212Y.0000000047","article-title":"Neurocysticercosis in sub-Saharan Africa: A review of prevalence, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and management","volume":"106","author":"Winkler","year":"2012","journal-title":"Pathog. 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