title: Short report: Prevalence of fecal Encephalitozoon sp. spores among hospitalized patients in Nepal.
abstract: During the months of June and July 1998, stool samples from 341 hospitalized patients (mean age, 32.7 +/- 16.3 years; range, 1-86 years) from Kathmandu, Nepal, were screened for the prevalence of Encephalitozoon sp. by use of anti-Encephalitozoon sp. monoclonal antibody 3B6-based immunofluorescence assay. The cross-sectional study revealed the presence of Encephalitozoon spores in 0.6% (2 of 341) patients. By use of direct microscopic examination, 27% (93 of 341) of patients were diagnosed with various gastrointestinal pathogens, among which Ascaris lumbricoides and Ancylostoma duodenale were the most commonly found, with prevalence rates of 8.8% (30 of 341) and 7.6% (26 of 341), respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the presence of Encephalitozoon sp. among humans in Nepal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, University of Arizona, Tucson 85721, USA.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Enriquez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016819:Encephalitozoon / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence