European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

OCCURRENCE OF INTESTINAL MICROSPORIDIUM SPP IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS

Leticia Eligio-García, María del Pilar Crisóstomo-Vázquez, Apolinar Cano-Estrada, *Enedina Jiménez-Cardoso

ABSTRACT

Microsporidia includes about 1,300 species of obligate intracellular organisms that affect a wide range of hosts, even human. 15 species are recognized as pathogenic for humans. The most frequent genres that infect human are Enterocytozoon spp and Encephalitozoon spp. Microsporidium spp is considered opportunistic, but the infections have increased recently in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals becoming in a public health problem. The aim was to establish the species of Microsporidium spp. present in fecal samples of children with and without gastrointestinal symptomatology using Faust coproparasitoscopic method (CPS), staining and molecular techniques. 130 stool samples from ≤11 years old children were examined by microscopy examination/Lugol’s iodine and Kinyoun staining and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to identify a fragment of 18s ribosomal gene of intestinal Microsporidium. 18/130 (13.84%) samples were positive to Microsporidium by CPS and 20/130 (15.38%) samples were positive by PCR. All fragment amplified were sequenced, aligned and compared with sequences of species of Encephalitozoon reported in the genebank. Eleven samples were consistent with Encephalitozoon hellem (11/20, 55%) y nine corresponded to Encephalitozoon intestinalis (9/20, 45%), without correlation between the presence of diarrhea and geographic origin of samples. The correct identification of the species is of clinical importance to provide an effective treatment and, because the species cannot be differentiated by optical microscopy, the molecular tools have been very useful to know more about the infection by Microsporidium.

Keywords: Microsporidia, Enterocytozoon, Encephalitozoon, Emerging, Parasite, Protozoa.