RESEARCH PAPER
Occurrence of intestinal microsporidia in immunodeficient patients in Poland
 
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1
Department of Parasitology, Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland
 
2
Immunology Clinic, Children’s Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland
 
3
Department of Prevention of Environmental Hazards and Allergology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
 
4
Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Yuma, AZ, USA
 
 
Corresponding author
Małgorzata Bednarska   

Department of Parasitology, Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland
 
 
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2014;21(2):244-248
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Microsporidial infections may be asymptomatic in immunocompetent hosts, but can be severe and disseminated in HIV/AIDS patients, children, the elderly, or in immunocompromised individuals, including those with primary or medically-induced immunodeficiencies. 209 faecal samples were collected from 80 clinical patients, with or without abdominal symptoms, and tested for the presence of the parasites. Microsporidia were found in 10 of the 80 patients (12.5%) using trichrom staining of faecal smears and/or PCR. Encephalitozoon intestinalis and 1 unidentified species were identified in 2 of the 32 children with primary immunodeficiencies (6%), presenting with diarrhoea, including one co-infection with Cryptosporidium meleagridis. In the group of patients with medically-induced immunosuppression (transplant recipients), 8 of the 48 patients (17%) were tested positive for microsporidia. Thus, these pathogens should be taken into account when the other etiological agents cannot be found in diarrheic patients with PIDs or undergoing immunosuppressive treatment before or after transplantation. This article presents the results of the first epidemiological study on the ccurrence and prevalence of microsporidia in patients with primary and secondary immunodeficiency in Poland.
 
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