Determination of the levels of anti-Cysticercus cellulosae antibodies among patients with convulsive syndrome in comparison with the levels of antibodies in the control population

RESUMO

A preliminary study of determination of anti-cysticercus antibodies among epileptic patients was undertaken during a six week period in the "San Juan de Dios" General Hospital in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The aim was to determine the importance of cerebral cysticercosis as a cause of seizures and therefore as a public health problem in Guatemala. Other objectives include the assessment of immunological techniques that could be used for clinical and epidemiological purposes at relatively low cost. Sera from 118 patients attending the neurology outpatients clinic and 63 blood donors were tested by Enzyme-Linked Immunoassay (ElISA) for anti-T. Solium cystecercus IgG antibodies. The prevalence of seropositivity was 7.63% when O.D. values (in log 10) of patients were compared with the mean + 25 Dof O.D. values of controls in each batch of ElISA