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Toxocariasis and epilepsy: systematic review and meta-analysis
Graziella Quattrocchi1, Alessandra Nicoletti, Benoit Marin
1Department GF Ingrassia, Section of Neurosciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases
|August 21, 2012
Summary
This study found a link between Toxocara infection and epilepsy. People with epilepsy were more likely to have antibodies against Toxocara, suggesting a potential association between this parasitic infection and the neurological condition.
Area of Science:
- * Infectious Diseases
- * Neuroepidemiology
- * Parasitology
Background:
- * Human toxocariasis is a zoonotic infection caused by Toxocara larval stages.
- * A potential link between toxocariasis and epilepsy has been previously hypothesized.
- * Understanding this association is crucial for public health and neurological disease management.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To systematically review and meta-analyze existing data on the association between epilepsy and Toxocara spp. seropositivity.
- * To quantify the strength of this association.
- * To provide recommendations for future research in this area.
Main Methods:
- * Systematic literature review of electronic databases and reference lists up to October 2011.
- * Inclusion of seven case-control studies comprising 1867 participants (850 cases, 1017 controls).
- * Random-effects meta-analysis to estimate the common odds ratio (OR) for epilepsy in relation to Toxocara spp. seropositivity.
Main Results:
- * Higher seropositivity rates for Toxocara spp. antibodies were observed in people with epilepsy across all included studies.
- * A statistically significant association was found in 4 out of 7 studies, with crude ORs ranging from 2.04 to 2.85.
- * The meta-analysis revealed a significant common OR of 1.92 (95% CI 1.50-2.44), indicating a positive association between epilepsy and Toxocara spp. seropositivity.
Conclusions:
- * The findings support a positive association between Toxocara spp. seropositivity and epilepsy.
- * Further research, potentially including incident cases, is warranted to elucidate the causal relationship.
- * This highlights the importance of considering parasitic infections in the differential diagnosis and management of epilepsy.
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