Abstract
Background: Congenital toxoplasmosis may be without an obvious clinical picture at birth and later present with variable signs and symptoms, mostly related to the CNS. Cryptogenic epilepsy in children is one of those conditions without obvious etiology and in which latent toxoplasmosis may be implicated. Soluble cell adhesion molecules (sICAM-1) are circulating biomarkers of DNA shed by living organisms, and of pathogenic processes.
Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the possible association of Toxoplasma gondii infection and cryptogenic epilepsy and to determine the increase in sICAM-1 level as an indicator of the possible role of Toxoplasma in pathogenesis of cryptogenic epilepsy.
Methods: Ninety children (40 with cryptogenic epilepsy, 30 with non-cryptogenic epilepsy and 20 healthy controls) were evaluated to determine exposure to T. gondii by specific IgG seropositivity, and the corresponding sICAM-1 serum levels. Respective specific ELISA kits were used.
Results: The level of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies seropositivity was significantly higher among children with cryptogenic epilepsy (20%) than among non-cryptogenic epileptic children (0%). In the healthy controls seropositivity was 10%. sICAM-1 level in the cryptogenic group ranged from 3.13 ng/mL up to > 50 ng/mL, and was lower in the non cryptogenic control group with a maximum sICAM-1 level of 25 ng/mL. In healthy control group only one case presented a sICAM-1 level of 25-50 ng/mL. In addition, among IgG seropositives 5 cases showed high sICAM-1 level of > 25 while the remaining three IgG seropositives showed lower sICAM-1 level (12.6-25 ng/mL). In healthy children, the two Toxoplasma IgG seropositive cases showed sICAM-1 level of 3.13- 25 ng/mL.
Conclusions: These statistically significant results supported the possible association between T. gondii infection and cryptogenic epilepsy; and revealed the up regulation of sICAM-1 level in this condition thus suggesting toxoplasmosis as one of the possible causes of cryptogenic epilepsy.
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