Abstract
Spinal cord involvement by Schistosomiasis is considered to be rare. We report a case of acute transverse myelitis due to Schistosoma mansoni in which treatment with praziquantal and steroids was started three days after the onset of a paraparesis, with complete neurological recovery.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Adeloye A, Folami A O Aghadiung P u 1982 Schistosoma haematobium granuloma of the spinal cord in a Nigerian boy. Neurochirurgia (Stuttg) 25(3): 100–102.
Arean V M Schistosomiasis—a clinico pathologic evaluation. In: Sommers SC (ed) 1966 Pathology Annual 1: 68–126. New York, Appleton Century Crofts.
Bird A V 1964 Acute spinal schistosomiasis. Neurology (Minneap) 14, 647-656.
Bird A V 1965 Spinal cord complications of bilharziasis. South African Medical Journal 39: 158–162.
Barnett A M 1965 Bilharzial granuloma of the spinal cord. South African Medical Journal 39: 699–700.
Batson O V 1940 The function of the vertebral veins and their role in the spread of metastasis. Annals of Surgery 112: 139–149.
Chait A, Gannon W E . Schistosomiasis of the spinal cord. American Journal of Roentgenology, Radiation Therapy and Nuclear Medicine, 105: 400–403.
Cohen J, Capildeo R, Rose F C, et al 1977 Schistosomal myelopathy (letter). British Medical Journal 2(6084): 1418.
Colley D G 1974 Immunologic consequences of Schistosome infection. In: Brent L, Holborrow J (eds) ‘Progress in Immunology II’ Vol. IV. New York, American Elsevier, pp. 171-179.
Dar J, Zimmerman R R 1977 Schistosomiosis of the spinal cord. Surgical Neurology 8: 416–418.
Domingo E O, Cowan R B T, Warren K S 1967 The inhibition of granuloma formation around schistosoma mansoni eggs. I Immuno suppressive drugs. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 16: 284–292.
Eftimiou J, Denning D 1984 Spinal cord disease due to Schistosoma mansoni successfully treated with oxanniquine. British Medical Journal 288(6427): 1343–1344.
El-Banhawy A 1972 Bilharziasis of the spinal cord. Proceedings of the Fourth European Congress on Neurology 757–759.
El-Banhawy A, Elwan O, Taher Y 1972 Bilharzial granuloma of conus medullaris and cauda equina. Paraplegia 10: 172–180.
El-Banhawy A 1971 Schistosomiasis of the spinal cord, conus and cauda. Neurologia Medio Chirurggica (Tokyo) 11: 17–33.
Gelfand M 1973. In: Spillane JD (ed) Tropical Neurology. London, Oxford University Press.
Ghaly A F, El-Banhawy A 1973 Schistosomiasis of the spinal cord. Journal of Pathology 3: 57–60.
Harries A D, Fryatt R, Walker J, et al. 1986 Schistosomiasis in expatriates returning to Britain from the tropics: A controlled study. Lancet 1: 86–88.
Herskawitz A 1972 Spinal involvement with Schistoma mansoni. Journal of Neurosurgery 36: 494–497.
Ibrahim K G 1941 Bilharzial granuloma of the conjunctiva. Bulletin of Opthalmic Society Egypte 34: 89–91.
Jane J A, Warren K S Van Den Noorte S 1970 Experimental cerebral schistosoma japonicum in primates. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 33: 426–430.
Kardaman M W, Amin M A, Fenwick A, et al. 1983 A field trial using Praziquantal (Biltricide) to treat Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobin infection in Gezira, Sudan. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 77(3): 297–304.
Lechtenberg R, Vaida G A 1977 Schistosomiasis of the spinal cord. Neurology 27: 55–59.
Levy L F 1970 Bilhazial involvement of the central nervous system. Medical Journal of Zambia 4: 191–199.
Luyendijk W, Lindeman J 1975 Schistsomiasis mansoni of the spinal cord simulating an intramedullary tumour. Surgical Neurology 4: 457–460.
Maciel Z, Coelho B, Abath G 1954 Myelite Schistosomique due au Schistosomiasis mansoni: Etude anatomo-clinique. Revue Neurologique 91: 241–259.
Marcial-Rojas R A, Fiol R E 1963 Neurologic complications of Schistosomiasis: Review of literature and report of two cases of transverse myelitis due to Schistosoma mansoni. Annals of Internal Medicine 59: 215–230.
Molyneux M E, Galatius Jensen F 1978 Successful drug tretment of Schistosomal myelopathy. South African Medical Journal 54: 871–877.
Neves J, Marinho R P De Araujo P K, et al. 1973 P Spinal cord complications of acute Schistosomiasis mansoni. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 67: 782–792.
Nillyer G V, Ruiz-Tiben E, Knight W B, et al. 1974 Immunodiagnosis of infection with Schistosoma mansoni: Comparison of Elisa, radioimmuno assay, and precipitation tests performed with antigens from eggs. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 28[4]: 661–664.
Norfray J F, Schlachter L, Heiser W J, et al. 1978 Schistosomiasis of the spinal cord. Surgical Neurology 9: 68–71.
Nozias J P, Pichard E, Develoux M, et al. 1983 Les Localisations Ectopiques des Bilharzioses (Sauf S. Japonicum). Archives d'Anatomie et de Cytologic Pathologiques, 4: 241–245.
Pearson R D, Guerrand R L 1983 Praziquantal: A major advance in anthelminthic therapy. Annals of Internal Medicine 99: 195–198.
Pool G M 1978–1979 Tropical paraplegia: A case of transverse myelitis, probably caused by Schistosomiasis mansoni. Paraplegia 16: 113–117.
Queiroz L, Nucci A, Facure N O, et al. 1979 Massive spinal cord necrosis in Schistosomiasis. Archives of Neurology 36: 517–519.
Raper A B 1948 Cerebral Schistosomiasis. East African Medical Journal 25: 262–263.
Rosenbaum R M, Ishii N, Tanowitz H, et al. 1972 Schistosomiasis mansoni of the spinal cord. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 21: 182‐184.
Ruiz-Tiben E, Hillyer G V, Knight W B, et al. 1979 Intensity of infection with Schistosoma mansoni: its relationships to sensitivity and specificity of seriologic tests. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 28(2): 230–236.
Saxe N, Gordon W 1975 Schistosomiasis of spinal cord and skin. South African Medical Journal 49: 57–58.
Scaff M, Riva D Spina-Franca A 1971 Meningorradiculomielopatia Esquistossomotica. Arquivos de Neuro Psiquiatria (Sao Paulo) 29(2): 227–233.
Scully R E, Mark E J McNealy B U 1985 A 21-year-old male with fever, diarrhoea and weakness of the legs during a sojourn in Kenya. New England Journal of Medicine 312: 1376- 1383.
Shimamura S, Tsunoda T 1906 Pathology of so-called katayama disease. Kyoto Igaku Zasshi 2: 149–175 (as cited in Bird AV, 1965).
Siddorn J A 1965 Schistosomiasis and anterior spinal artery occlusion. American Journal of Tropical Hygiene 27(3): 532–534.
Sparrow C H 1966 Bilharziasis in the human eye: report of a case. Central African Journal of Medicine 12: 55.
Warren K S 1973 The pathology of Schistosome infections. Helminthological Abstracts 42: 592–633.
Wilcocks C, Manson-Bahr P E 1972 Manson's Tropical Diseases. London, Balire Tindall.
Wood M G, Srolovitz H, Schetman D 1976 Schistosomiasis, paraplegia and ectopic skin lesions as admission symptoms. Archives of Dermatology 112: 690–695.
World Health Organization 1965 Snail control in the prevention of Bilharziasis. Monograph series number 50. World Health Organization Geneva, 254 p.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Suchet, I., Klein, C., Horwitz, T. et al. Spinal cord schistosomiasis: a case report and review of the literature. Spinal Cord 25, 491–496 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1987.82
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1987.82
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Mansonic neuroschistosomiasis in the childhood: an undiagnosed pathology?
Child's Nervous System (2023)
-
Medullary neuroschistosomiasis in adolescence: case report and literature review
Child's Nervous System (2021)