Neurocysticercosis: Sensitivity and Specificity

Introduction: Neurocysticercosis is a preventable parasitic infection of the central nervous system and is caused by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium. Humans become infected after consuming undercooked food, particularly pork, or water contaminated with tapeworm eggs, or through poor hygiene practices.

The lack of specificity of the neurological symptoms makes it impossible to diagnose the disease on clinical grounds alone.

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Prevalence

The sensitivity and specificity of findings for Neurocysticercosis are listed below. See the left navigation bar to change the display.

Specific Findings

Finding	Sensitivity	Specificity	Comments, Study
Taenia solium PCR in CSF	72.2%	100%	PCR may be particularly helpful for diagnosing extraparenchymal NC when neuroimaging techniques have failed. Sensitivity: 95% CI 54.8%–85.8% Specificity: 95% CI 90.3%–100.0% Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241005/