title: Microsporidia and its relation to Crohn's disease. A retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The cause of Crohn's Disease (CD) remains unknown. Recently a decrease in the global lymphocyte population in the peripheral blood of CD patients has been reported. This decrease was more evident in γδ T lymphocytes, especially γδ CD8+T subsets. Furthermore, a decrease of IL-7 was also observed in these patients. We propose the hypothesis that microsporidia, an obligate intracellular opportunistic parasite recently related to fungi, in CD patients can take advantage of the lymphocytes and IL-7 deficits to proliferate and to contribute to the pathophysiology of this disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this case-control study, serum samples were collected from 36 CD patients and from 36 healthy individuals (controls), IgE and IgG anti-Encephalitozoon antibodies were determined by ELISA; and forty-four intestinal tissue samples were analyzed through real time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), twenty CD patients, nine with others diseases and 15 healthy subjects. We observed that IgE anti-Encephalitozoon levels were significantly higher in patients with CD: 0.386(±0.256) vs control group, 0.201(±0.147), P<0.001. However, IgG anti-Encephalitozoon values were significantly lower in CD patients: 0.361(±0.256) vs control group, 0.876(±0.380), P<0.001. In the group of CD patients, 6/20 (30%) were positive by real time PCR for microsporidia and, all the patients of the control group were negative by real time PCR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that CD patients are a group at risk for microsporidiasis and, moreover that microsporidia may be involved as a possible etiologic factor of CD.
authors: Research Department, Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, Valencia, Spain.
authors: Juan C
authors: JC
authors: Andreu-Ballester
authors: Carlos
authors: C
authors: Garcia-Ballesteros
authors: Victoria
authors: V
authors: Amigo
authors: Ferran
authors: F
authors: Ballester
authors: Rafael
authors: R
authors: Gil-Borrás
authors: Ignacio
authors: I
authors: Catalán-Serra
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Magnet
authors: Soledad
authors: S
authors: Fenoy
authors: Carmen
authors: C
authors: del Aguila
authors: Jose
authors: J
authors: Ferrando-Marco
authors: Carmen
authors: C
authors: Cuéllar
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016819:Encephalitozoon / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D016814:Microsporidia / Q000276:immunology*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E
references: J Infect Dis. 1997 Apr;175(4):1020-4
references: 9086174
references: BMJ. 1988 Oct 29;297(6656):1105-6
references: 3143445
references: J Immunol. 2004 Apr 1;172(7):4402-9
references: 15034055
references: Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin. 2005 Apr;23(4):218-20
references: 15826547
references: Parasite Immunol. 2002 May;24(5):243-51
references: 12060318
references: J Helminthol. 2002 Jun;76(2):131-6
references: 12015825
references: Dig Dis Sci. 2011 Sep;56(9):2613-22
references: 21374064
references: Vet Parasitol. 2004 Dec 9;126(1-2):145-66
references: 15567583
references: Int J Infect Dis. 2012 Sep;16(9):e677-9
references: 22771183
references: J Clin Microbiol. 2011 Apr;49(4):1301-6
references: 21325545
references: FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2012 May;36(3):748-60
references: 22126330
references: BMC Genomics. 2007 Sep 04;8:309
references: 17784954
references: J Immunol. 2001 Jun 15;166(12):7389-97
references: 11390490
references: N Engl J Med. 1997 Feb 13;336(7):474-8
references: 9017940
references: Nature. 1988 Jun 30;333(6176):855-8
references: 2968521
references: PCR Methods Appl. 1991 Aug;1(1):46-50
references: 1842921
references: Lancet. 1991 Apr 13;337(8746):895-8
references: 1672978
references: J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2001;Suppl:75S-78S
references: 11906087
references: Annu Rev Microbiol. 2002;56:93-116
references: 12142484
references: J Immunol. 1984 Nov;133(5):2712-9
references: 6434635
references: PLoS One. 2010 May 07;5(5):e10539
references: 20479876
references: Clin Infect Dis. 2002 Apr 1;34(7):918-21
references: 11880956
references: N Engl J Med. 1992 Jan 16;326(3):161-6
references: 1370122
references: Clin Infect Dis. 1998 May;26(5):1227-9
references: 9597258
references: Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2013 Feb;19(2):E30-1
references: 22314878
references: Nature. 1988 Dec 1;336(6198):479-81
references: 2461518
references: J Med Microbiol. 2011 Apr;60(Pt 4):459-466
references: 21183599
references: Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2011 Oct;24(5):490-5
references: 21844802
references: Hybridoma (Larchmt). 2008 Jun;27(3):153-7
references: 18582207
references: PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2011 May;5(5):e1162
references: 21629721
references: Transpl Infect Dis. 2009 Feb;11(1):83-8
references: 18803616
references: Lancet. 1991 Jun 15;337(8755):1488-9
references: 1675361
references: J Immunol. 1999 May 15;162(10):6086-91
references: 10229850