In this survey we examined 87 domestic animal stool samples in order to detect the possible presence of microsporidia in animals in close contact with humans in Galicia (NW, Spain). The detection of Enterocytozoon bieneusi spores was confirmed in faecal samples from two dogs and one goat by polymerase chain reaction. None of the positive samples for microsporidia in the staining method were amp...

A case of chronic infection of the nasal mucosae, sinuses and conjunctivae with a microsporidian parasite in association with HIV infection and immune deficiency is reported. This microsporidian resembles both Encephalitozoon cuniculi and the newly described Encephalitozoon hellem by electron microscopy. This occurred in an adult male resident in the UK with no history of foreign travel. Althou...

The variation in immune response of two unrelated colonies of laboratory rabbits to high doses of heat-killed Brucella abortus strain 19 was investigated. One was a mixed-breed, multicolored colony in which a high prevalence of encephalitozoonosis had been recorded, whereas the other rabbits were derived from a colony of Dutch-marked specific-pathogen-free rabits. Although considerable variatio...

Microsporidia are spore-forming fungal pathogens that require the intracellular environment of host cells for propagation. We have shown that spores of the genus Encephalitozoon adhere to host cell surface glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in vitro and that this adherence serves to modulate the infection process. In this study, a spore wall protein (EnP1; Encephalitozoon cuniculi ECU01_0820) from E. cu...

A male patient is described with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) who developed chronic keratoconjunctivitis and chronic sinusitis due to infection with the microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi. Diagnosis was confirmed by electron microscopic examination of conjunctival epithelial cells and nasal polypectomy specimens. Treatment with propamidine isethionate 0.1% (Brolene) eye drops...

The production of three cytokines, interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin 10 (IL-10) and interleukin 12 (IL-12), was measured after intraperitoneal infection of immunocompetent Balb/c mice and immunodeficient SCID mice with the microsporidian, Encephalitozoon cuniculi Levaditi, Nicolau et Schoen, 1923. High levels of IFN-gamma were detected in ex vivo cultures of peritoneal exudate cells (PE...

The use of oligonucleotide microarray technology requires a very detailed attention for the design of specific probes spotted on the solid phase. These problems are far from being commonplace since they refer to complex physicochemical constraints. Despite the widespread use of this technology, there are very few publicly available programs for microarray oligonucleotide design. In this paper, ...

BACKGROUND Encephalitozoon cuniculi infects a wide range of homoeothermic animals, including man. Complications due to this microsporidian have been reported only in immunocompromised patients. Reports on E. cuniculi in immunocompetent humans are lacking, most probably, because it is not linked to any clinical manifestations in such hosts. The present work was carried out with the aim of studyi...