Point-of-care testing for cysticercosis and neurocysticercosis: a systematic review

Introduction

Cysticercosis (CC) and Neurocysticercosis (NCC), caused by Taenia solium, impose significant diagnostic and clinical burdens with major social and economic implications. This systematic review aims to identify available point-of-care tests (PoCTs), assessing their diagnostic accuracy and their technical and operational characteristics, to facilitate early pathogen identification and timely access to appropriate care.

Materials and Methods

A systematic search was conducted twice on PubMed, Scopus, and Embase following the PRISMA checklist. Studies published up to 22nd July 2025, evaluating PoCTs were included. Studies on instrumental methods or focused on taeniasis diagnosis or screening were excluded. At least two authors independently screened articles, read full texts, analyzed references, and extracted data. Conflicts were resolved by group discussion.

Results

From 21.357 records, preliminary analyses included 18 articles, mostly addressing endemic settings and extraparenchymal forms in patients with active lesions. Preliminary results show that Lateral-Flow Assays are the most common tests, followed by Real-Time Isothermal Amplifications and Capacitive Immunosensors. Samples include serum, blood (capillary and venous), cerebrospinal fluid, and urine. Studies are evenly distributed between antigen and antibody detection; sensitivity ranges from 35% to 97%, with generally high specificity (up to 99%). Urine-based tests for subarachnoid forms showed strong performance in clinically relevant subgroups. Evidence on diagnostic accuracy and usability in resource-limited settings is promising but heterogeneous.

Conclusions

PoCTs for CC and NCC show significant potential to improve diagnostic access in resource-limited settings. However, diagnostic performance varies widely across tests, and validation is often context-specific. Further studies are needed to strengthen evidence on accuracy, applicability, and clinical impact of PoCTs.

Key messages

• Point-of-care tests (PoCTs) have great potential value for access to care, diagnosis, and screening of Cysticercosis and Neurocysticercosis.

• Diagnostic performance varies widely across PoCT platforms, sample types and targeted clinical subgroups.