Parasitic diseases of the central nervous system

Parasitic infections, though endemic to certain regions, have over time appeared in places far removed from their original sites of occurrence facilitated probably by the increase in world travel and the increasing migration of people from their native lands to other, often distant, countries. The frequency of occurrence of some of these diseases has also changed based on a variety of factors, including the presence of intermediate hosts, geographic locations, and climate. One factor that has significantly altered the epidemiology of parasitic diseases within the central nervous system (CNS) is the HIV pandemic. In this review of the pathology of parasitic infections that affect the CNS, each parasite is discussed in the sequence of epidemiology, life cycle, pathogenesis, and pathology.