Communicating hydrocephalus following eosinophilic meningitis is pathogenic for chronic Viliuisk encephalomyelitis in Northeastern Siberia.
<h4>Background</h4>Viliuisk encephalomyelitis (VE) is an endemic neurological disease in Northeast Siberia and generally considered to be a chronic encephalomyelitis of unknown origin actually spreading in the Sakha (Yakutian) Republic.<h4>Methodology and principle findings</h4&...
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2014-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0084670&type=printable |
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| author | Alexander Storch Jan Kassubek Hayrettin Tumani Vsevolod A Vladimirtsev Andreas Hermann Vladimir L Osakovsky Vladimir A Baranov Vadim G Krivoshapkin Albert C Ludolph |
| author_facet | Alexander Storch Jan Kassubek Hayrettin Tumani Vsevolod A Vladimirtsev Andreas Hermann Vladimir L Osakovsky Vladimir A Baranov Vadim G Krivoshapkin Albert C Ludolph |
| author_sort | Alexander Storch |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Viliuisk encephalomyelitis (VE) is an endemic neurological disease in Northeast Siberia and generally considered to be a chronic encephalomyelitis of unknown origin actually spreading in the Sakha (Yakutian) Republic.<h4>Methodology and principle findings</h4>In search for the pathophysiology and causative agent of VE, we performed a cross-sectional study on clinical, serological and neuroimaging data on chronic VE patients during two medical expeditions to three villages within the Viliuiski river basin in the Republic of Sakha in 2000 and to the capital Yakutsk in 2006. The severity of the core clinical picture with predominant sensory ataxia, gait apraxia, lower limb spasticity, cognitive impairment and bladder dysfunction correlated with the degree of MRI findings showing enlargement of inner ventricular spaces as in communicating hydrocephalus. Laboratory studies revealed transient eosinophilia during the preceding acute meningitis-like phase, but no ongoing inflammatory process in the CSF. We found immune reactions against Toxocara canis in the majority of chronic VE patients but rarely in controls (P = 0.025; Fisher's exact test). Histological analysis of subacute to subchronic VE brain samples showed eosinophilic infiltrations with no signs of persistent Toxocara canis infection.<h4>Conclusions and significance</h4>Our data showed that pressure by the communicating hydrocephalus as a mechanical factor is the major pathogenic mechanism in chronic VE, most likely triggered by eosinophilic meningitis. There are no signs for an ongoing inflammatory process in chronic VE. The past eosinophilic reaction in VE might be caused by Toxocara ssp. infection and might therefore represent the first hint for an initial cause leading to the development of chronic VE. Our data provide a framework for future studies and potential therapeutic interventions for this enigmatic epidemic neurological disease potentially spreading in Sakha Republic. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8c6d89063f184dffb3b4e73979b7efbf |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-8c6d89063f184dffb3b4e73979b7efbf2025-08-20T02:15:29ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032014-01-0192e8467010.1371/journal.pone.0084670Communicating hydrocephalus following eosinophilic meningitis is pathogenic for chronic Viliuisk encephalomyelitis in Northeastern Siberia.Alexander StorchJan KassubekHayrettin TumaniVsevolod A VladimirtsevAndreas HermannVladimir L OsakovskyVladimir A BaranovVadim G KrivoshapkinAlbert C Ludolph<h4>Background</h4>Viliuisk encephalomyelitis (VE) is an endemic neurological disease in Northeast Siberia and generally considered to be a chronic encephalomyelitis of unknown origin actually spreading in the Sakha (Yakutian) Republic.<h4>Methodology and principle findings</h4>In search for the pathophysiology and causative agent of VE, we performed a cross-sectional study on clinical, serological and neuroimaging data on chronic VE patients during two medical expeditions to three villages within the Viliuiski river basin in the Republic of Sakha in 2000 and to the capital Yakutsk in 2006. The severity of the core clinical picture with predominant sensory ataxia, gait apraxia, lower limb spasticity, cognitive impairment and bladder dysfunction correlated with the degree of MRI findings showing enlargement of inner ventricular spaces as in communicating hydrocephalus. Laboratory studies revealed transient eosinophilia during the preceding acute meningitis-like phase, but no ongoing inflammatory process in the CSF. We found immune reactions against Toxocara canis in the majority of chronic VE patients but rarely in controls (P = 0.025; Fisher's exact test). Histological analysis of subacute to subchronic VE brain samples showed eosinophilic infiltrations with no signs of persistent Toxocara canis infection.<h4>Conclusions and significance</h4>Our data showed that pressure by the communicating hydrocephalus as a mechanical factor is the major pathogenic mechanism in chronic VE, most likely triggered by eosinophilic meningitis. There are no signs for an ongoing inflammatory process in chronic VE. The past eosinophilic reaction in VE might be caused by Toxocara ssp. infection and might therefore represent the first hint for an initial cause leading to the development of chronic VE. Our data provide a framework for future studies and potential therapeutic interventions for this enigmatic epidemic neurological disease potentially spreading in Sakha Republic.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0084670&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Alexander Storch Jan Kassubek Hayrettin Tumani Vsevolod A Vladimirtsev Andreas Hermann Vladimir L Osakovsky Vladimir A Baranov Vadim G Krivoshapkin Albert C Ludolph Communicating hydrocephalus following eosinophilic meningitis is pathogenic for chronic Viliuisk encephalomyelitis in Northeastern Siberia. PLoS ONE |
| title | Communicating hydrocephalus following eosinophilic meningitis is pathogenic for chronic Viliuisk encephalomyelitis in Northeastern Siberia. |
| title_full | Communicating hydrocephalus following eosinophilic meningitis is pathogenic for chronic Viliuisk encephalomyelitis in Northeastern Siberia. |
| title_fullStr | Communicating hydrocephalus following eosinophilic meningitis is pathogenic for chronic Viliuisk encephalomyelitis in Northeastern Siberia. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Communicating hydrocephalus following eosinophilic meningitis is pathogenic for chronic Viliuisk encephalomyelitis in Northeastern Siberia. |
| title_short | Communicating hydrocephalus following eosinophilic meningitis is pathogenic for chronic Viliuisk encephalomyelitis in Northeastern Siberia. |
| title_sort | communicating hydrocephalus following eosinophilic meningitis is pathogenic for chronic viliuisk encephalomyelitis in northeastern siberia |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0084670&type=printable |
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