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| BOOK REVIEW |
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| Year : 2013 | Volume
: 3
| Issue : 2 | Page : 175-176 |
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Cysticercosis of the Human Nervous System
Subhash Chandra Parija
Editor-in-Chief, Tropical Parasitology, Professor, Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
| Date of Web Publication | 26-Nov-2013 |
Correspondence Address:
Subhash Chandra Parija
Editor-in-Chief, Tropical Parasitology, Professor, Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry
India
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How to cite this article:
Parija SC. Cysticercosis of the Human Nervous System. Trop Parasitol 2013;3:175-6 |
 Author: Oscar H Del Brutto, Hector H Garcia
E-mail: [email protected]
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2014; Pages: 140
ISBN: 978-3-642-39021-0
Cysticercosis of the human nervous system is a well written book whose authors O. H. Del Brutto and H. H. Garcia are well-known for their immense contributions in the field of neurocysticercosis.
The book elaborates each and every aspect about human neurocysticercosis in a vivid manner. The contents of the book are thoughtfully organized into 10 chapters that includes;; history of of taeniasis and cysticercosis, Taenia solium: Biological characteristics and life cycle, neuropathology of cysticercosis, epidemiology of human cysticercosis in endemic regions, epidemiology of human cysticercosis in non-endemic regions, immunopathology of taeniasis and cysticercosis, clinical manifestations of neurocysticercosis, diagnosis of taeniasis and cysticercosis, management of neurocysticercosis and control and perspectives for elimination of T. solium taeniasis/cysticercosis. Each chapter has detailed and well-referred data to interest the readers. The authors have done a thorough literature search and presented them in a clear and easily understandable layout.
Strengths of the book are many. To mention a few; the book provides a highly structured review of various aspects of the disease, right from the historical background to the effective management of neurocysticercosis in the community. The text is supported well with adequate, recent references in the field. The first chapter on "history of taeniasis and cysticercosis" provides comprehensive information on the chronological findings from the past concerning the disease and supported with appropriate citations of text and figures. The third chapter on "neuropathology of cysticercosis" presents a concise review of pathogenesis and pathology of the disease. The chapter on the "clinical manifestations of neurocysticercosis," which is more allied to the title of the book, concisely describes each and every possible manifestation of neurocysticercosis, which may not be found in standard textbooks.
I was slightly disappointed by finding less data on prevalence of the disease in India and other South East Asian countries including Indonesia in the chapter on "epidemiology of human cysticercosis in endemic regions." Likewise, the issue of neurocysticercosis co-infection in patients with HIV could have been included as publications pertaining to this topic are available. The laboratory diagnosis of both taeniasis as well as neurocysticercosis has been well-covered. Nevertheless, recent advancements in the field such as the use of recombinant proteins/synthetic peptides in nurocysticercosis serology as well as the recent interests in the use of specimens such as urine, saliva, etc., as alternative to blood are missing in the chapter on diagnosis of taeniasis and cysticercosis. Few typographical errors catch the eye at rare instances.
To sum up, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this excellent book and affirm it as a must-to-be-read for every one working in the field of neurocysticercosis. I strongly recommend the book for basic scientists, clinicians, public health experts, health administrators and others working in the field of neurocysticercosis. As the literature and books concerning neurocysticercosis are very limited, this book with up to date information would certainly be widely referred. To achieve holistic knowledge, I wish books on other parasitic diseases of public health importance could be written in a similar manner too.
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