scholarly journals Zoonotic Potential of the Microsporidia

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Mathis ◽  
Rainer Weber ◽  
Peter Deplazes
Keyword(s):  
Organ Transplant ◽  
Enterocytozoon Bieneusi ◽  
Zoonotic Potential ◽  
Transplant Recipients ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Encephalitozoon Cuniculi ◽  
Animal Group ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Vertebrate Hosts ◽  
Animal Hosts

SUMMARY Microsporidia are long-known parasitic organisms of almost every animal group, including invertebrates and vertebrates. Microsporidia emerged as important opportunistic pathogens in humans when AIDS became pandemic and, more recently, have also increasingly been detected in otherwise immunocompromised patients, including organ transplant recipients, and in immunocompetent persons with corneal infection or diarrhea. Two species causing rare infections in humans, Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Brachiola vesicularum, had previously been described from animal hosts (vertebrates and insects, respectively). However, several new microsporidial species, including Enterocytozoon bieneusi, the most prevalent human microsporidian causing human immunodeficiency virus-associated diarrhea, have been discovered in humans, raising the question of their natural origin. Vertebrate hosts are now identified for all four major microsporidial species infecting humans (E. bieneusi and the three Encephalitozoon spp.), implying a zoonotic nature of these parasites. Molecular studies have identified phenotypic and/or genetic variability within these species, indicating that they are not uniform, and have allowed the question of their zoonotic potential to be addressed. The focus of this review is the zoonotic potential of the various microsporidia and a brief update on other microsporidia which have no known host or an invertebrate host and which cause rare infections in humans.

scholarly journals Mammalian Microsporidiosis

2000 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Wasson ◽  
R. L. Peper
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Comparative Anatomy ◽  
Polar Filament ◽  
Enterocytozoon Bieneusi ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Encephalitozoon Cuniculi ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Encephalitozoon Intestinalis ◽  
Potential Pathogen

The phylum Microspora contains a diverse group of single-celled, obligate intracellular protozoa sharing a unique organelle, the polar filament, and parasitizing a wide variety of invertebrate and vertebrate animals, including insects, fish, birds, and mammals. Encephalitozoon cuniculi is the classic microsporidial parasite of mammals, and encephalitozoonosis in rabbits and rodents has been and continues to be recognized as a confounding variable in animal-based biomedical research. Although contemporary research colonies are screened for infection with this parasite, E. cuniculi remains a cause of morbidity and mortality in pet and conventionally raised rabbits. In addition, E. cuniculi is a potential pathogen of immature domestic dogs and farm-raised foxes. The recent discovery and identification of Encephalitozoon intestinalis, Encephalitozoon hellem, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi, in addition to E. cuniculi, as opportunistic pathogens of humans have renewed interest in the Microspora. Veterinary pathologists, trained in the comparative anatomy of multiple animal species and infectious disease processes, are in a unique position to contribute to the diagnosis and knowledge of the pathogenesis of these parasitic diseases. This review article covers the life cycle, ultrastructure, and biology of mammalian microsporaidia and the clinical disease and lesions seen in laboratory and domestic animals, particularly as they relate to Encephalitozoon species. Human microsporidial disease and animal models of human infection are also addressed. Often thought of as rabbit pathogens of historical importance, E. cuniculi and the related mammalian microsporidia are emerging as significant opportunistic pathogens of immunocompromised individuals.

scholarly journals Transplantation-Associated Long-Term Immunosuppression Promotes Oral Colonization by Potentially Opportunistic Pathogens without Impacting Other Members of the Salivary Bacteriome

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 920-930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia I. Diaz ◽  
Bo-Young Hong ◽  
Jorge Frias-Lopez ◽  
Amanda K. Dupuy ◽  
Mark Angeloni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organ Transplant ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Solid Organ ◽  
Transplant Recipients ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bacterial Microbiome

ABSTRACTSolid-organ transplant recipients rely on pharmacological immunosuppression to prevent allograft rejection. The effect of such chronic immunosuppression on the microflora at mucosal surfaces is not known. We evaluated the salivary bacterial microbiome of 20 transplant recipients and 19 nonimmunosuppressed controls via 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. Alpha-diversity and global community structure did not differ between transplant and control subjects. However, principal coordinate analysis showed differences in community membership. Taxa more prevalent in transplant subjects included operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of potentially opportunisticGammaproteobacteriasuch asKlebsiella pneumoniae,Pseudomonas fluorescens,Acinetobacterspecies,Vibriospecies,Enterobacteriaceaespecies, and the generaAcinetobacterandKlebsiella. Transplant subjects also had increased proportions ofPseudomonas aeruginosa,Acinetobacterspecies,Enterobacteriaceaespecies, andEnterococcus faecalis, among other OTUs, while genera with increased proportions includedKlebsiella,Acinetobacter,Staphylococcus, andEnterococcus. Furthermore, in transplant subjects, the dose of the immunosuppressant prednisone positively correlated with bacterial richness, while prednisone and mycophenolate mofetil doses positively correlated with the prevalence and proportions of transplant-associated taxa. Correlation network analysis of OTU relative abundance revealed a cluster containing potentially opportunistic pathogens as transplant associated. This cluster positively correlated with serum levels of C-reactive protein, suggesting a link between the resident flora at mucosal compartments and systemic inflammation. Network connectivity analysis revealed opportunistic pathogens as highly connected to each other and to common oral commensals, pointing to bacterial interactions that may influence colonization. This work demonstrates that immunosuppression aimed at limiting T-cell-mediated responses creates a more permissive oral environment for potentially opportunistic pathogens without affecting other members of the salivary bacteriome.

Resurrected Bodies

2010 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arlene Macdonald
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Organ Transplant ◽  
Transplant Recipients ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
The Public ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Faith Traditions ◽  
Anthropological Literature ◽  
Religious Actors

The anthropological literature on transplant, though theoretically and ethnographically rich, does not address religion in any substantial way. And while bio-ethical considerations of transplant regularly address religion, treatments are generally circumscribed to a list of various faith traditions and their stance toward organ transplant. Such a presentation reduces “religion” to the world’s recognized faith traditions, “religious actors” to the official spokespersons of these traditions, and “religious belief” to moral injunctions. The objective of the thesis was to illuminate the prominent place of religion in the lived experience of transplant recipients and donors, in the public policy and professional activities of transplant officials, and in the transplant discourses of North America

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