title: Genital microsporidiosis in women with AIDS: a post-mortem study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Microsporidiosis is a life threatening opportunistic infection of AIDS patients. The infection is usually restricted to specific anatomical areas, but could become systemic depending on the involved species. Genital microsporidiosis in female patients is rare.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report genital microsporidiosis in female AIDS patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tissues samples from the genital tract (ovary, fallopian tubes and uterus) of eight deceased women who died of wasting syndrome associated to AIDS and disseminated microsporidiosis at the Institute of Tropical Medicine Pedro Kourí were collected between 1997 and 2005. Using an indirect immunohistochemistry assay the microsporidia species involved in those cases were identified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We report several cases of microsporidial infection of the female genital tract. Six out of eight women with the disseminated form of the disease showed the presence of microsporidia in the genital tract. Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Encephalitozoon hellem were identified in the internal lining epithelium of the fallopian tubes and endometrium.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Microsporidia species could disseminate to other organs and become systemic in severe immunocompromised cases. To our knowledge this is the greatest number of female genital tract microsporidiosis cases so far reported in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Institute of Tropical Medicine Pedro Kourí, Havana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Griselda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Izquierdo
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Capó
authors.forename: Ledy X
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: María C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Limonta
authors.forename: Soledad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fenoy
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Del Águila
authors.forename: Fernando J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Bornay-Llinares
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D001344:Autopsy; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000382:microbiology; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000382:microbiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D016819:Encephalitozoon / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009670:Encephalitozoon cuniculi / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016890:Encephalitozoonosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000382:microbiology; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology; D005187:Fallopian Tubes / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D019247:HIV Wasting Syndrome / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000382:microbiology; D009928:Organ Specificity; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000302:isolation & purification