Risk of seizures and neurocysticercosis in household family contacts of children with single enhancing lesions

A small, single enhancing lesion (SEL) is often noted upon computed tomography (CT) in children and young adults with recent focal or generalized seizures. A high frequency of seizures has been reported in family members of persons with SEL. We studied the prevalence of seizures and cysticercus electro-immuno-transfer blot (EITB) based seropositivity among family members, specifically household family contacts of pediatric subjects with a SEL. An attempt was also made to determine the etiology of seizures in household family contacts using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Information regarding seizure semiology, personal and food habits and detailed family pedigrees was obtained from 20 consecutive pediatric subjects with a SEL and 51 of their household family contacts. EITB sere-assays and stool examinations were performed on all participating subjects. MRIs were done on all EITB positive household family contacts. A family history of seizures was obtained in six index children (30%) (five household first-degree relatives and two distant relatives). Seventeen index children (85%) and 13 family contacts (27%) were EITB positive. A tendency towards clustering of EITB positive cases within individual families was observed. Stool examinations did not reveal Taenia species ova in any of EITB positive subjects. Neuroimaging studies revealed abnormalities consistent with active or inactive neurocysticercosis in all five household family contacts with history of seizures. Four of these five subjects were EITB positive and one was EITB negative. We concluded that children with SEL and seizures may have a family history of seizures. There is a high seropositivity rate in household family contacts of pediatric subjects with solitary cysticercus granulomas (SCGs). EITB based seropositivity in household family contacts with seizures, strongly predicts a cysticercal etiology for seizures. It may be worthwhile to screen household family contacts of children with SEL for taeniasis-cysticercosis. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.