[Chronic trichinellosis and neuromuscular diseases: clinical, serological and therapeutic observations]

In six males with chronic neurological signs who, 14-41 years previously, had an episode of acute trichinellosis cardinal symptoms were chronic muscle pain and lower-neuron damage. Other findings, probably related to trichinellosis, were episodes of pyrexia, chronic gastro-intestinal and cardiac symptoms, and in one case symptomatic epilepsy with psychomotor attacks. Significant laboratory findings were a chronic leukocytosis in one case, repeated elevations of eosinophil count in three. Muscle biopsy in all patients revealed live trichinella and (or) focal myositis. The serological findings did not correlate with the biopsy ones. If the live trichinae are encapsulated, antibody titres may be negative, while they may be markedly elevated when the trichinellae are dead. Whether encapsulated larvae can be influenced by tiabendazol or mebendazol is not clear from these observations.