Answer 42
Spastic paraparesis is a recognised complication of infection with
True a. Streptococcus pyogenes
False b. Polio virus
True c. Mycobacterium tuberculosis
False d. Taenia saginata
False e. Plasmodium vivax
Streptococci may be involved in the formation of a spinal abscess, subdural or extradural, which may cause spinal cord compression.
Poliomyelitis is an anterior horn cell disease and characteristically causes flaccid paralysis, often of a single limb.
Tuberculosis of the spine (Pott's disease) is an important cause of spastic paraparesis. Infection usually starts in the intervertebral region involving the discs and extending subdurally to involve the meninges. Paraparesis may result from vertebral collapse or tuberculous arteritis of the spinal arterioles.
Other infective causes of spastic paraparesis: schistosomiasis, cysticercosis and HTLV-1.
