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Updated: May 6, 2026

3-D Imaging and Analysis of Neurons Infected In Vivo with Toxoplasma gondii
Published on: December 9, 2014
Oncogenic brain metazoan parasite infection
Angela N Spurgeon1, Marshall C Cress, Oroszi Gabor
1Department of Surgery, Division of Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
Abstract:
Multiple observations suggest that certain parasitic infections can be oncogenic. Among these, neurocysticercosis is associated with increased risk for gliomas and hematologic malignancies. We report the case of a 71-year-old woman with colocalization of a metazoan parasite, possibly cysticercosis, and a WHO grade IV neuroepithelial tumor with exclusively neuronal differentiation by immunohistochemical stains (immunopositive for synaptophysin, neurofilament protein, and Neu-N and not for GFAP, vimentin, or S100). The colocalization and temporal relationship of these two entities suggest a causal relationship.
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