Cell biology and invasion of the microsporidia.
Microsporidia are amitochondrial eukaryotic obligate intracellular parasites. They are reported to infect every animal group from protists to vertebrates, including humans. Microsporidia are of interest as opportunistic pathogens in humans and for certain characteristics which raise questions about their evolution and phylogenetic position. This review describes the basic biology and invasion mechanisms of microsporidian species infecting humans.
Bigliardi
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Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy. bigliardi@unisi.it
Sacchi
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D000818:Animals; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D016814:Microsporidia / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D016881:Microsporidiosis / Q000469:parasitology; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000469:parasitology*; D010802:Phylogeny