The present study aimed to investigate the possible association of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. infections with cryptogenic epilepsy. The study was carried out between June 2014 and March 2015. Ninety children (Forty with cryptogenic epilepsy, 30 with non cryptogenic epilepsy and 20 healthy control children) were evaluated to determine the anti-Toxocara and anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) seropositivity using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Epileptic cases were selected from those attending the pediatrics outpatient clinic of Benha University Hospital, pediatrics neurology unit and from Benha Specialized Hospital of children. The results showed that, the level of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies seropositivity was significantly higher among children with cryptogenic epilepsy (20%) than among children with non cryptogenic children (0%); and in the healthy controls (10%), while there was no association between toxocariasis seropositivity and cryptogenic epilepsy (only 5.7% (four out of 70 cases) among cases and 10% (two out of 20 ) among control. Among toxocariasis IgG positive cases there were three (7.5%) cryptogenic and only one (3.3%) was non cryptogenic. These statistically significant results support the association between T. gondii infection and cryptogenic epilepsy while deny this association with toxocariasis. |
