Association Between Ov16 Seropositivity and Neurocognitive Performance Among Children in Rural Cameroon: a Pilot Study.

ABSTRACT: Infection with Onchocerca volvulus was recently reported to increase the risk for epilepsy in Cameroonian children. We investigated whether infection with O. volvulus may alter the cognitive function of children who may or may not develop epilepsy later in their lifetime. Using rapid diagnostic tests, we determined the presence of Ov16 antibodies in 209 school-aged children without epilepsy recruited from three Cameroonian villages, as a proxy for onchocerciasis exposure. In addition, the neurocognitive performance of these children was assessed using a battery of validated tools. Participants were aged 6-16 years, and 46.4% were Ov16 seropositive. Upon standardizing age-specific neurocognitive scores and investigating predictors of neurocognitive performance using multiple l

SUBMITTER: Siewe Fodjo JN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8602181 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature