Arroyo G, et al. - This work focused on antibody banding patterns of the Enzyme-linked Immunoelectrotransfer Blot (EITB) and brain imaging findings in patients with neurocysticercosis (NCC). Researchers realized that EITB antibody banding patterns are associated with brain imaging findings and complement imaging information for the diagnosis of NCC and for staging NCC patients.

Methods

• In 548 NCC cases, researchers investigated EITB antibody banding patterns and brain imaging findings.
• They grouped similar banding patterns into homogeneous classes using latent class analysis.
• Assessment of the association between classes and brain imaging findings was performed.

Results

• Researchers identified four classes:
• class 1 (patients negative or only positive to the GP50 band, related to the protein family of the same name) seemed related with non-viable or single viable parenchymal cysticerci;
• class 2 (patients positive to bands GP42-39 and GP24, related to the T24-42 protein family, with or without anti-GP50 antibodies) seemed related with intraparenchymal viable and non-viable infections;
• classes 3 and 4 (positive to GP50, GP42-39 and GP24 but also responding to low molecular weight bands GP21, GP18, GP14 and GP13, related to the 8kDa protein family) seemed related with extraparenchymal and intraparenchymal multiple viable cysticerci.