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Recorded presentation

Hélène Carabin, DVM, PhD¹, Linda D. Cowan², Humberto Foyaca-Sibat³, Rosina C. Krecek⁴, Reginald T. Hooks⁵, Raffaella E. Espinoza, BA MPH candidate¹, and A. Lee Willingham⁶. (1) Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 801 N.E. 13th St., Oklahoma Ctiy, OK 73190, (405) 271-2229, helene-carabin@ouhsc.edu, (2) Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Oklahoma Health Center, 801 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, (3) University Walter Sisulu, Mthatha, Mthatha, South Africa, (4) Ross Univ School of Veterinary Med, P O Box 334, Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, (5) TBD, 801 NE 13th St., CHB-333, Oklahoma City, OK 48381, (6) WHO/FAO Collaborating Center for Parasitic Zoonoses, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Dyrlaegevej 100, Frederiksberg, Denmark

Objective: To investigate the association between pig ownership and pork consumption and the prevalence of symptomatic neurocysticercosis (NCC) in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Methods: This is a prevalence case-control study conducted at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa during the spring of 2005. Consecutive patients consulting the neurology clinic and diagnosed with: 1) epilepsy and NCC, or 2) epilepsy alone (no NCC), or 3) consulting the ophthalmology or dermatology clinics without any neurological symptoms were included. These patients were interviewed and asked several behavioral questions regarding raising of pigs and pork consumption.

Results: A total of 170 patients diagnosed with 1) NCC and epilepsy (n=57, 34%), 2) epilepsy without NCC (n=52, 31%) or 3) neither NCC nor epilepsy (n=61, 36%) participated in the study. Using dermatology and ophthalmology clinic patients as the control group, the prevalence odds ratio (POR) of owning pigs was 6.79 (95% CI: 2.13-21.69) and the POR for consuming pork compared to never consuming pork was 2.13 (0.74-6.15). Using the epilepsy patients without NCC as the control group, the POR of consuming pigs was 14.18 (5.09-39.5) and of owning pigs was 17.50 (5.43-56.20).

Conclusion: Preliminary findings indicate that a strong association exists between owning pigs and having NCC. The reason why epilepsy patients consumed less pork than NCC, dermatology, and ophthalmology patients needs further investigation. Local Public Health authorities should educate local small pig holder communities to limit pig access to human feces.

Learning Objectives:

• To gain experience with and evaluate alternative approaches to sustainable, community-based strategies for surveillance of neurocysticercosis (NCC).
• To evaluate an epidemiological tool for identification of cases of NCC that can be used in a community (i.e., non-clinical) setting.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation