Abstract

Neuroparasitology and Tropical Neurology, a new volume in The Handbook of Clinical Neurology, provides a comprehensive and contemporary reference on parasitic infections of the human nervous system.  Parasitic infections are varied and some are resolved by the host’s immune system, other infections may become established even though unnoticed, and some cause severe disease and death.  In our modern world, neuroparasitoses are no longer geographically isolated and these infections now appear worldwide.  Outside of a very few well understood pathologies, most parasitic infections have been neglected in the neurological literature and most neurologists have never diagnosed such an infection.  This volume details how, with the advent of modern neuroimaging techniques, improved diagnostic applications of molecular biology, more accurate immunodiagnosis, and minimally invasive neurosurgery, human nervous system parasitoses are now diagnosed and treated, with increasing frequency.   The book is divided into six sections, and begins with an introduction to the mechanisms of infection, diagnosis, and pathology of parasitic diseases. Subsequent chapters detail protozoan diseases and a section covering each of the major classes of human-infecting helminths: nematodes (roundworms), trematodes (flukes), and cestodes (tapeworms).  The final section contains chapters on other important areas of tropical clinical medicine including the neurological complications of venomous bites and tropical nutritional deficiencies.  Neuroparasitology and Tropical Neurology will be of interest to neurologists, neurosurgeons and other health professionals encountering patients with parasitic infections.

• A comprehensive reference resource on the diagnosis and treatment of parasitic infections of the human nervous system
• Focuses on the impact of modern neuroimaging techniques, improved diagnostic applications of molecular biology, more accurate immunodiagnosis, and minimally invasive neurosurgery to diagnose parasitoses
• International list of contributors including the leading workers in the field

"This detailed reference on parasitology and tropical neurology is illustrated throughout with color and b&w diagnostic images and color clinical photos. Parasites are listed and discussed according to their etiologies. Opening chapters on general principles of parasitology include discussion of the burden of diseases as well as their mechanisms, pathology, and diagnosis. There is also discussion of the principles of novel imaging techniques applied to central nervous system parasitic infections." --Reference & Research Book News, December 2013