We have developed a new micromethod to study the effect of drugs on microsporidia, using MRC5 fibroblasts infected by 10(5) spores of Encephalitozoon cuniculi. After 3 days of incubation with various concentrations of drugs, parasitic foci were counted in stained cultures. The inhibition of microsporidial growth exceeding 90% with albendazole (0.005 microgram/ml), fumagillin (0.001 microgram/ml...

Experimental activation of peritoneal macrophages by interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) resulted in the inhibition of Encephalitozoon cuniculi replication. However, E. cuniculi could replicate either in a non-activated cell line of murine macrophages PMJ2-R or in IFN-gamma-activated PMJ2-R cells. Moreover, activation with IFN-gamma led to faster replication of E. cuniculi in these cells. Opsonisation...

The European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is a major pest of corn, Zea mays L., in North America, Europe and Asia. Before the introduction of transgenic Bt corn targeting lepidopteran pests, the European corn borer was responsible for over $1 billion in damage and control measures annually in the U.S. alone (Mason et al. 1996). Management of this insect historically ...

intracellular parasite in the phylum Microspora, which is defined by its resistant spore stage. Microsporidia receive little attention in veterinary medical curricula because they are considered important only as parasites of rabbits and fish. Microsporidia are important parasites of humans as well, with some species causing severe disease and death in immunocompromised individuals. Microsporid...

background: encephalitozoon cuniculi is a microsporidian parasite commonly found in rabbits that can infect humans, causing encephalitozoonosis. our objective in this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of this parasite in rabbits and humans in china. methods: overall, 300 serum samples each from clinically healthy rabbit and hu-man were collected from three regions of china (sichuan provi...