Calcified Neurocysticercosis: Understanding Dead (Not Necessarily Inactive) Parasites

Abstract

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the most common helminthic infection of the human central nervous system (CNS), and a major cause of acquired epilepsy in most of the world. Although outcomes of NCC have been improved by advanced diagnostic tests, antiparasitic drugs, and appropriate anti-inflammatory treatment, little attention has been paid to calcified NCC. Calcification is a common outcome in NCC and carries increased risk for seizures and hippocampal atrophy/sclerosis. The pathophysiological mechanisms leading to calcification instead of complete resolution are basically unknown. Understanding the causes and mechanisms of calcification can lead to improved therapies aimed at reducing the likelihood of residual calcification or the underlying pathological mechanisms, after the resolution of parasitic lesions in the human CNS.