title: Molecular identification of encephalitozoon hellem in an ostrich.
abstract: Microsporidia are obligate, intracellular, eukaryotic parasites found in a wide variety of vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Scientific literature contains a small number of reports of these parasites in psittacine hosts, and recently microsporidiosis was reported in the first nonpsittacine host, an ostrich. DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded ostrich tissues, and a portion of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene was sequenced to identify the microsporidian species. The organisms were identified as Encephalitozoon hellem, a parasite species that was first described in immunocompromised humans and recently reported in three psittacine species.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843-4467, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Snowden
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Logan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016819:Encephalitozoon / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016890:Encephalitozoonosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010311:Parrots; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D020310:Struthioniformes / Q000469:parasitology*
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal