Table 1.

Infections of the central nervous system implicated in epilepsy (23, 24, 40).

Infectious agents	Mechanism(s)	Clinical consequences
Viruses: arboviruses, coxsackie, enterovirus, rubella, measles, HIV, herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus, flavivirus (Japanese encephalitis), Dengue	- CNS invasion/Inflammation/release of cytotoxic substances/increased neuronal excitability/necrosis - Secondary infections of CNS & metabolic disorders in HIV infection.	Meningitis/encephalitis/encephalomyelitis, epilepsy
Bacteria: Meningococcus, pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenzae B (Hib), Mycobacterium tuberculosis	CNS invasion/Inflammation/intracerebral lesions	Meningitis/cerebral abscesses/intracranial empyemas, epilepsy
Parasites: Taenia solium, Plasmodium falciparum, Naegleria fowleri, Entamoeba histolytica, Trypanosoma spp, Onchocerca volvulus, Toxocara canis, Echinococcus granulosus, Toxoplasma gondii	- CNS invasion/Inflammation/encephalitis/intracerebral lesions/autoimmunity? - Combination of parasites increases epilepsy risk (41)	Cerebral abscesses/cysts/calcifications, epilepsy
Fungi: Cryptococcus neoformans, C. immitis, H. capsulatum, Candida albicans, A. fumigatus, A. flavus, Mucoraceae sp., Aspergillus, Blastomyces, Histoplasma	CNS invasion/Inflammation (immunocompromised++)	Meningitis/abscesses, vasculitis/capillary thrombosis, epilepsy