Zoonotic potential of Enterocytozoon bieneusi.
The reservoirs and the modes of transmission of the most frequent microsporidial species in humans, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, are still unknown. We have examined fecal samples of 26 humans and 350 animals from 37 species to find 18 samples containing this parasite from humans, cats, pigs, cattle, and a llama. Genotypic characterization of the internal transcribed spacer of the rRNA gene resulted in 14 different genotypes, 6 of them previously undescribed. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the lack of a transmission barrier between E. bieneusi from humans and animals (cats, pigs, and cattle). Thus, E. bieneusi appears to be a zoonotic pathogen.
Dengjel
B
B
Institute for Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Zahler
M
M
Hermanns
W
W
Heinritzi
K
K
Spillmann
T
T
Thomschke
A
A
Löscher
T
T
Gothe
R
R
Rinder
H
H
D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002415:Cats; D002417:Cattle; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000032:analysis; D021862:Enterocytozoon / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016881:Microsporidiosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000662:veterinary; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000635:transmission*
D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer