Detection of Encephalitozoon spp. from human diarrheal stool and farm soil samples in Korea.

ABSTRACT: Microsporidia are eukaryotic organisms that cause zoonosis and are major opportunistic pathogens in HIV-positive patients. However, there is increasing evidence that these organisms can also cause gastrointestinal and ocular infections in immunocompetent individuals. In Korea, there have been no reports on human infections with microsporidia to date. In the present study, we used real-time PCR and nucleotide sequencing to detect Encephalitozoon intestinalis infection in seven of 139 human diarrheal stool specimens (5%) and Encephalitozoon hellem in three of 34 farm soil samples (8.8%). Genotype analysis of the E. hellem isolates based on the internal transcribed spacer 1 and polar tube protein genes showed that all isolates were genotype 1B. To our knowledge, this is the first report on hu

SUBMITTER: Kim K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4330474 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature