Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| experimental meningoencephalomyelitis by encephalitozoon cuniculi in cyclophosphamide-immunosuppressed mice. | encephalitozoonosis is an increasingly important opportunistic protozoan infection in immunocompromised individuals. this study aims to examine the development of an experimental encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in the central nervous system of immunosuppressed mice. adult balb-c mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with e. cuniculi spores, treated with cyclophosphamide during the experimental period and killed from 15 to 75 days post-inoculation. tissue samples were collected and processed ... | 2005 | 16100970 |
| proteolytic activity in encephalitozoon cuniculi sporogonial stages: predominance of metallopeptidases including an aminopeptidase-p-like enzyme. | a fraction enriched in spore precursor cells (sporoblasts) of the microsporidian encephalitozoon cuniculi, an intracellular parasite of mammals, was obtained by percoll gradient centrifugation. soluble extracts of these cells exhibited proteolytic activity towards azocasein, with an alkaline optimum ph range (9-10). prevalence of some metallopeptidases was supported by the stimulating effect of ca2+, mg2+, mn2+ and zn2+ ions, and inhibition by two chelating agents (edta and 1,10-phenanthroline), ... | 2005 | 16137693 |
| functional characterization of a putative aquaporin from encephalitozoon cuniculi, a microsporidia pathogenic to humans. | the microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular parasitic protists that have been implicated as both human and veterinary pathogens. the infectious process of these organisms is believed to be dependent upon the rapid influx of water into spores, presumably via aquaporins (aqps), transmembrane channels that facilitate osmosis. an aqp-like sequence of the microsporidium encephalitozoon cuniculi (ecaqp), when cloned and expressed in oocytes of xenopus laevis, rendered these oocytes highly ... | 2006 | 16197948 |
| direct agglutination test for encephalitozoon cuniculi. | encephalitozoon cuniculi is a small protozoan parasite in the phylum microspora. it has been shown to naturally infect several host species, including humans. infection with microsporidia is usually asymptomatic, except in young or immunocompromised hosts. currently, serological diagnosis of infection is made using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay (ifa) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa). although these methods are sensitive and reliable, there are several drawbacks to the ... | 2006 | 16229953 |
| rna-binding domain proteins in kinetoplastids: a comparative analysis. | rna-binding proteins are important in many aspects of rna processing, function, and destruction. one class of such proteins contains the rna recognition motif (rrm), which consists of about 90 amino acid residues, including the canonical rnp1 octapeptide: (k/r)g(f/y)(g/a)fvx(f/y). we used a variety of homology searches to classify all of the rrm proteins of the three kinetoplastids trypanosoma brucei, trypanosoma cruzi, and leishmania major. all three organisms have similar sets of rrm-containin ... | 2005 | 16339728 |
| enp1 and enp2, two proteins associated with the encephalitozoon cuniculi endospore, the chitin-rich inner layer of the microsporidian spore wall. | microsporidia are obligate intracellular parasites forming environmentally resistant spores that harbour a rigid cell wall. this wall comprises an outer layer or exospore and a chitin-rich inner layer or endospore. so far, only a chitin deacetylase-like protein has been shown to localize to the encephalitozoon cuniculi endospore and either one or two proteins have been clearly assigned to the exospore in two encephalitozoon species: swp1 in e. cuniculi, swp1 and swp2 in encephalitozoon intestina ... | 2006 | 16368098 |
| activity of bleach, ethanol and two commercial disinfectants against spores of encephalitozoon cuniculi. | encephalitozoon cuniculi is a small protist parasite in the phylum microspora. hosts are infected by ingestion or inhalation of spores passed in the urine or feces. infection with e. cuniculi is usually asymptomatic, except in young or immunocompromised hosts. this study examined the effects of various disinfectants on in vitro infectivity of e. cuniculi spores. spores of e. cuniculi were exposed to several dilutions of commercial bleach, 70% ethanol and dilutions of commercial disinfectants hit ... | 2006 | 16368193 |
| identification of a new spore wall protein from encephalitozoon cuniculi. | microsporidia form environmentally resistant spores that are critical for their host-to-host transmission and persistence in the environment. the spore walls of these organisms are composed of two layers, the exospore and the endospore. two spore wall proteins (swp1 and swp2) have been previously identified in members of the encephalitozoonidae family. these proteins localize to the exospore. the endospore is known to contain chitin, and a putative glycosylphosphatidylinositol (gpi)-anchored chi ... | 2006 | 16368977 |
| antibodies enhance the protective effect of cd4+ t lymphocytes in scid mice perorally infected with encephalitozoon cuniculi. | the role of antibodies in the immune response to microsporidiosis was studied using a novel anti-exospore monoclonal antibody (mab) p5/h1, which recognizes surface antigens of encephalitozoon cuniculi. the effect of the mab on microsporidial infection in vivo was to prolong the survival of previously cd4+ reconstituted, perorally infected and intraperitoneally mab-treated scid mice. the mab decreased the numbers of e. cuniculi spores in peritoneal smears obtained post mortem. these results sugge ... | 2006 | 16441507 |
| application of specific primers in the diagnosis of encephalitozoon spp. | in our experiment, 3 species-specific primer pairs cultivated in cell lines were used: encephalitozoon cuniculi -specific primer pairs (ecunf and ecunr), encephalitozoon hellem -specific primer pairs (ehelf and ehelr), and encephalitozoon intestinalis -specific primer pairs (sintf and sintr). the pcr products were estimated to be 550 bp in e. cuniculi , 547 bp in e. hellem and 545 bp in e. intestinalis respectively, which can prove the precision and reliability of this method in the species iden ... | 2005 | 16457493 |
| expression of two cell wall proteins during the intracellular development of encephalitozoon cuniculi: an immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization study with ultrathin frozen sections. | the microsporidian encephalitozoon cuniculi is an obligate intracellular parasite that develops asynchronously inside parasitophorous vacuoles. spore differentiation involves the construction of a cell wall commonly divided into an outer layer (exospore) and a thicker, chitin-rich inner layer (endospore). the developmental patterns of protein deposition and mrna expression for 2 different spore wall proteins were studied using immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization procedures with ultrathi ... | 2006 | 16469199 |
| pcr detection of neospora caninum, toxoplasma gondii and encephalitozoon cuniculi in brains of wild carnivores. | neospora caninum, toxoplasma gondii and encephalitozoon cuniculi are important pathogens with affinity to the central nervous system of many animals. 240 brains of wild carnivores were examined by pcr-based diagnosis. the presence of n. caninum dna was confirmed in 4.61% (7/152) red foxes (vulpes vulpes). dna of t. gondii was found in 4.92% (3/61) martens (martes sp.) and in 1.32% (2/152) red foxes. dna of e. cuniculi was determined in 3.28% (2/61) martens and in one examined european otter (lut ... | 2006 | 16472923 |
| phylogenetic positions of several amitochondriate protozoa--evidence from phylogenetic analysis of dna topoisomerase ii. | several groups of parasitic protozoa, as represented by giardia, trichomonas, entamoeba and microsporida, were once widely considered to be the most primitive extant eukaryotic group--archezoa. the main evidence for this is their 'lacking mitochondria' and possessing some other primitive features between prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and being basal to all eukaryotes with mitochondria in phylogenies inferred from many molecules. some authors even proposed that these organisms diverged before the e ... | 2005 | 16483135 |
| effects of high-pressure processing on in vitro infectivity of encephalitozoon cuniculi. | high-pressure processing (hpp) has been shown to be an effective means of eliminating bacteria and destructive enzymes from a variety of food products. hpp extends the shelf life of products while maintaining the sensory features of food and beverages. in this study, we examined the effects of hpp on the infectivity of encephalitozoon cuniculi spores in vitro. spores were exposed to between 140 and 550 mpa for 1 min in a commercial hpp unit. following treatment, the spores were loaded onto cell ... | 2005 | 16539038 |
| sequence analysis of rnase mrp rna reveals its origination from eukaryotic rnase p rna. | rnase mrp is a eukaryote-specific endoribonuclease that generates rna primers for mitochondrial dna replication and processes precursor rrna. rnase p is a ubiquitous endoribonuclease that cleaves precursor trna transcripts to produce their mature 5' termini. we found extensive sequence homology of catalytic domains and specificity domains between their rna subunits in many organisms. in candida glabrata, the internal loop of helix p3 is 100% conserved between mrp and p rnas. the helix p8 of mrp ... | 2006 | 16540690 |
| genetically unique microsporidian encephalitozoon cuniculi strain type iii isolated from squirrel monkeys. | microsporidian spores were isolated from two squirrel monkeys (saimiri sciureus) that had been bred at an animal-breeding colony in japan. the spores were identified as encephalitozoon cuniculi on the basis of nucleotide sequence analysis of the small-subunit (ssu) rrna gene. the internal transcribed spacer (its) gene sequence revealed that these isolates were classified into genotype iii because it contained tetrarepeats of 5'-gttt-3'. however, the sequences of the polar tube protein (ptp) gene ... | 2006 | 16580248 |
| seroprevalence of antibodies to encephalitozoon cuniculi in domestic rabbits in the united kingdom. | serum samples from 97 clinically healthy domestic rabbits were tested for antibodies to encephalitozoon cuniculi by an indirect elisa technique. fifty (52 per cent) of them were seropositive. the samples were taken as part of a routine health screen or before general anaesthesia at 22 veterinary practices in england, scotland and wales, and the veterinary surgeons were asked to complete a questionnaire to provide information concerning the animal's husbandry, diet, vaccination, health status and ... | 2006 | 16632526 |
| characterization of a divergent sec61beta gene in microsporidia. | the general secretory (sec) pathway is the main mechanism for protein secretion and insertion into endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. however, the complete genome of the highly specialized microsporidian parasite encephalitozoon cuniculi appears to lack a gene for sec61beta, one of three universally conserved proteins that form the core of the sec translocon. we have identified a putative, highly divergent homologue of sec61beta in the genome of another micr ... | 2006 | 16650859 |
| proteomic analysis of the eukaryotic parasite encephalitozoon cuniculi (microsporidia): a reference map for proteins expressed in late sporogonial stages. | the microsporidian encephalitozoon cuniculi is a unicellular obligate intracellular parasite considered as an emerging opportunistic human pathogen. the differentiation phase of its life cycle leads to the formation of stress-resistant spores. the e. cuniculi genome (2.9 mbp) having been sequenced, we undertook a descriptive proteomic study of a spore-rich cell population isolated from culture supernatants. a combination of 2-de and 2-de-free techniques was applied to whole-cell protein extracts ... | 2006 | 16691553 |
| an improved procedure for percoll gradient separation of sporogonial stages in encephalitozoon cuniculi (microsporidia). | intracellular development of microsporidian parasites comprises a proliferative phase (merogony) followed by a differentiation phase (sporogony) leading to the release of resistant spores. sporogony implies, successively, meront-to-sporont transformation, sporont division into sporoblasts, and sporogenesis. we report a procedure improving the separation of sporogonial stages of encephalitozoon cuniculi, a species that develops inside parasitophorous vacuoles of mammalian cells. supernatants of e ... | 2006 | 16738886 |
| pure cd4+ t lymphocytes fail to protect perorally infected scid mice from lethal microsporidiosis caused by encephalitozoon cuniculi. | the role of cd4+ and cd8+ t lymphocytes in the protection against intraperitoneally (i.p.) or perorally (p.o.) acquired encephalitozoon cuniculi (levaditi et al., c r soc biol paris 89:984-986, 1923) infection was studied by means of reconstitution of severe combined immunodeficiency (scid) mice with well-defined populations of naive cd8+ or cd4+ t lymphocytes. adoptive transfer of pure cd8+ t lymphocyte subpopulation protects scid mice against a lethal microsporidiosis caused by e. cuniculi. th ... | 2006 | 16738893 |
| the varying microsporidian genome: existence of long-terminal repeat retrotransposon in domesticated silkworm parasite nosema bombycis. | microsporidia are a group of intracellular parasites with an extremely compact genome and there is no confirmed evidence that retroelements are parasitised in these organisms. using the dataset of 200,000 genomic shotgun reads of the silkworm pebrine nosema bombycis, we have identified the eight complete n. bombycis long-terminal repeat retrotransposon (nbr) elements. all of the nbr elements are ty3/gypsy members and have close relationships to saccharomycetes long-terminal repeat retrotransposo ... | 2006 | 16797019 |
| disseminated encephalitozoonosis in captive, juvenile, cotton-top (saguinus oedipus) and neonatal emperor (saguinus imperator) tamarins in north america. | disseminated encephalitozoonosis was diagnosed in 2 sibling, juvenile, cotton-top tamarins (saguinus oedipus) and 3 sibling, neonatal, emperor tamarins (s. imperator) by use of histologic examination, histochemical analysis, electron microscopy, and polymerase chain reaction (pcr) analysis with nucleotide sequencing. all tamarins were captive born at zoos in north america and died with no premonitory signs of disease. the main pathologic findings were myocarditis (4/5), hepatitis (3/5), intersti ... | 2006 | 16846985 |
| [laboratory diagnostics of human microsporidiosis]. | there are many techniques available for the identification of microsporidia in clinical specimens. chromotrope 2r, calcofluor white m2r and fish technique have all been reported to be useful as selective methods for microsporidia in stool specimens and in body fluids. microsporidia in histologic tissue preparations have also been visualized with giemsa, hematoxylin and eosin stain, brown-hopps stain or warthin-starry staining. microsporidia can also be identified by using tests for detecting igg ... | 2004 | 16862802 |
| genetic structure and evolution of the vps25 family, a yeast escrt-ii component. | vps25p is the product of yeast gene vps25 and is found in an endosomal sorting complex required for transport (escrt)-ii, along with vps22p and vps36p. this complex is essential for sorting of ubiquitinated biosynthetic and endosomal cargoes into endosomes. | 2006 | 16889659 |
| system for expression of microsporidian methionine amino peptidase type 2 (metap2) in the yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae. | microsporidia are parasitic protists of all classes of vertebrates and most invertebrates. they recently emerged as important infections in various immunosuppressed and immunocompetent patient populations. they are also important veterinary and agricultural pathogens. current therapies for microsporidiosis include benzimidazoles, which bind tubulin-inhibiting microtubule assembly, and fumagillin and its derivatives, which bind and inhibit methionine amino peptidase type 2 (metap2). benzimidazole ... | 2006 | 16917013 |
| prevalence of antibodies to encephalitozoon cuniculi in horses from brazil. | encephalitozoon cuniculi has been associated with natural cases of abortion and stillbirth in horses. however, little is known about the prevalence of this parasite in horses. we examined sera from 559 horses from brazil for antibodies to e. cuniculi using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody (ifa) test and the direct agglutination test (dat). we found that 79 (14.1%) were positive in the ifa test and 70 (12.5%) were positive in the dat. compared to the ifa as the "gold standard" the sensitiv ... | 2006 | 16919878 |
| diagnosis and manifestation of encephalitozoonosis in mice after experimental infection with different species and application of dexamethasone. | twenty-eight balb/c mice were infected with different strains of encephalitozoon species (encephalitozoon cuniculi ii - mouse type, e. cuniculi iii - dog type, encephalitozoon hellem, encephalitozoon intestinalis). five of them were infected with e. cuniculi ii (mouse type) and simultaneously immunosuppressed with dexamethasone. clinical signs of encephalitozoonosis were not remarkable. ascites was found in two mice of dexamethasone-treated group 14 days post-infection (p.i.). the histopathologi ... | 2006 | 16922830 |
| mutational analysis of encephalitozoon cuniculi mrna cap (guanine-n7) methyltransferase, structure of the enzyme bound to sinefungin, and evidence that cap methyltransferase is the target of sinefungin's antifungal activity. | cap (guanine-n7) methylation is an essential step in eukaryal mrna synthesis and a potential target for antiviral, antifungal, and antiprotozoal drug discovery. previous mutational and structural analyses of encephalitozoon cuniculi ecm1, a prototypal cellular cap methyltransferase, identified amino acids required for cap methylation in vivo, but also underscored the nonessentiality of many side chains that contact the cap and adomet substrates. here we tested new mutations in residues that comp ... | 2006 | 16971388 |
| major o-glycans in the spores of two microsporidian parasites are represented by unbranched manno-oligosaccharides containing alpha-1,2 linkages. | protein glycosylation in microsporidia, a fungi-related group comprising exclusively obligate intracellular parasitic species, is still poorly documented. here, we have studied glycoconjugate localization and glycan structures in spores of encephalitozoon cuniculi and antonospora locustae, two distantly related microsporidians invading mammalian and insect hosts, respectively. the polar sac-anchoring disc complex or polar cap, an apical element of the sporal invasion apparatus, was strongly peri ... | 2007 | 16980327 |
| microsporidian mitosomes retain elements of the general mitochondrial targeting system. | microsporidia are intracellular parasites that infect a variety of animals, including humans. as highly specialized parasites, they are characterized by a number of unusual adaptations, many of which are manifested as extreme reduction at the molecular, biochemical, and cellular levels. one interesting aspect of reduction is the mitochondrion. microsporidia were long considered to be amitochondriate, but recently a tiny mitochondrion-derived organelle called the mitosome was detected. the molecu ... | 2006 | 17043242 |
| seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii, sarcocystis neurona, and encephalitozoon cuniculi in three species of lemurs from st. catherines island, ga, usa. | in the current study, we determined the seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii, sarcocystis neurona, and encephalitozoon cuniculi in three species of lemurs from st. catherines island, georgia. serum samples were tested from 52 ring-tailed lemurs (lemur catta), six blue-eyed black lemurs (eulemur macaco flavifrons), and four black and white ruffed lemurs (varecia variegata variegata) using an agglutination assay. three ring-tailed lemurs (5.8%) were positive for t. gondii (titer of 1:50); one ring- ... | 2007 | 17052854 |
| human pathogenic microsporidia detection in agricultural samples: method development and assessment. | a detection method was developed and assessed for the sensitive recovery of microsporidia from livestock fecal and manure-impacted environmental samples. sensitive recovery of microsporidia was achieved when samples were subjected to 1) purification by sucrose floatation, 2) dna extraction using the qiagen qiaamp dna stool mini kit, 3) polymerase chain reaction (pcr) analysis using generic primers for microsporidia, and 4) dna sequence analysis to identify which microsporidia were present in eac ... | 2007 | 17058113 |
| uptake of encephalitozoon spp. and vittaforma corneae (microsporidia) by different cells. | microsporidia are obligate intracellular parasites infecting a broad range of vertebrates and invertebrates. various microsporidian species induce different clinical pictures in humans. the reason for this is not clear. it has been speculated that the different microsporidian species are transmitted by various routes, thus causing infections in different organs. another possibility is that the diverse microsporidia have different tropisms to organ-specific cells, thus causing various diseases. i ... | 2005 | 17089738 |
| microbiological monitoring of guinea pigs reared conventionally at two breeding facilities in korea. | in this study, microbiological monitoring of guinea pigs reared conventionally in two facilities was performed twice in 2004, with a three-month-interval between surveys. this study was based on the recommendations of the felasa working group, with some modifications. in serological tests in the first survey, some animals from facility a showed positive results for encephalitozoon cuniculi, sendai virus, pneumonia virus of mice (pvm), and reovirus-3 (reo-3); facility b showed a positive result o ... | 2006 | 17090958 |
| detecting immunoglobulin m antibodies against microsporidian encephalitozoon cuniculi polar tubes in sera from healthy and human immunodeficiency virus-infected persons in japan. | encephalitozoon cuniculi, a spore-forming obligate intracellular parasitic pathogen belonging to the phylum microsporidia, has a unique and highly specialized organelle called the polar tube. using an enzyme immunostaining assay in which germinated e. cuniculi spores were coated onto plastic surfaces, we tested healthy and human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)-infected individuals in japan for anti-polar tube antibodies of each immunoglobulin (ig) class. anti-polar tube igg was detected in just 4 o ... | 2007 | 17108286 |
| expression and serologic assessment of a recombinant polar tube protein from encephalitozoon cuniculi (ptp3). | 2006 | 17169072 | |
| heterologous expression of an encephalitozoon cuniculi aquaporin in xenopus oocytes. | 2006 | 17169073 | |
| identification of novel developmentally regulated genes in encephalitozoon cuniculi: an endochitinase, a chitin-synthase, and two subtilisin-like proteases are induced during meront-to-sporont differentiation. | 2006 | 17169074 | |
| induction of host chemotactic response by encephalitozoon spp. | microsporidians are a group of emerging pathogens typically associated with chronic diarrhea in immunocompromised individuals. the number of reports of infections with these organisms and the disseminated pathology is growing as diagnostic tools become more readily available. however, little is known about the innate immune response induced by and generated against these parasites. using a coculture chemotaxis system, primary human macrophages were infected with encephalitozoon cuniculi or encep ... | 2007 | 17178789 |
| interb multigenic family, a gene repertoire associated with subterminal chromosome regions of encephalitozoon cuniculi and conserved in several human-infecting microsporidian species. | microsporidia are fungi-related obligate intracellular parasites that infect numerous animals, including man. encephalitozoon cuniculi harbours a very small genome (2.9 mbp) with about 2,000 coding sequences (cdss). most repeated cdss are of unknown function and are distributed in subterminal regions that mark the transitions between subtelomeric rdna units and chromosome cores. a potential multigenic family (interb) encoding proteins within a size range of 579-641 aa was investigated by pcr and ... | 2007 | 17235519 |
| retrospective species identification of microsporidian spores in diarrheic fecal samples from human immunodeficiency virus/aids patients by multiplexed fluorescence in situ hybridization. | in order to assess the applicability of multiplexed fluorescence in situ hybridization (fish) assay for the clinical setting, we conducted retrospective analysis of 110 formalin-stored diarrheic stool samples from human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)/aids patients with intestinal microsporidiosis collected between 1992 and 2003. the multiplexed fish assay identified microsporidian spores in 94 of 110 (85.5%) samples: 49 (52.1%) were positive for enterocytozoon bieneusi, 43 (45.8%) were positive fo ... | 2007 | 17287331 |
| human-virulent microsporidian spores in solid waste landfill leachate and sewage sludge, and effects of sanitization treatments on their inactivation. | solid waste landfill leachate and sewage sludge samples were quantitatively tested for viable enterocytozoon bieneusi, encephalitozoon intestinalis, encephalitozoon hellem, and encephalitozoon cuniculi spores by the multiplexed fluorescence in situ hybridization (fish) assay. the landfill leachate samples tested positive for e. bieneusi and the sludge samples for e. bieneusi and e. intestinalis. the effects of four sanitization treatments on the inactivation of these pathogens were assessed. dep ... | 2007 | 17364164 |
| study on the prevalence of toxoplasma gondii and neospora caninum and molecular evidence of encephalitozoon cuniculi and encephalitozoon (septata) intestinalis infections in red foxes (vulpes vulpes) in rural ireland. | thoracic fluid (pleural fluid and clotted blood) from 206 foxes were examined for antibodies to toxoplasma gondii and 220 thoracic fluid samples were tested for neospora caninum antibodies using indirect immunofluorescent antibody tests (ifat). a total of 115 (56%) and six (3%) foxes had antibodies to t. gondii and n. caninum, respectively. the brains from 148 foxes were examined for histological lesions and pathological changes suggestive of parasitic encephalitis were observed in 33 (22%). two ... | 2007 | 17368946 |
| stripped-down dna repair in a highly reduced parasite. | encephalitozoon cuniculi is a member of a distinctive group of single-celled parasitic eukaryotes called microsporidia, which are closely related to fungi. some of these organisms, including e. cuniculi, also have uniquely small genomes that are within the prokaryotic range. thus, e. cuniculi has undergone a massive genome reduction which has resulted in a loss of genes from diverse biological pathways, including those that act in dna repair.dna repair is essential to any living cell. a loss of ... | 2007 | 17374165 |
| [suggested mitochondrial ancestry of non-mitochondrial atp/adp]. | one of the major evolutionary events that transformed endosymbiotic bacterium into mitochondrion was an acquisition of atp/adp carrier in order to supply the host with respiration-derived atp. along with mitochondrial carrier, unrelated carrier is known which is characteristic of intracellular chlamydiae, plastids, parasitic intracellular eukaryote encephalitozoon cuniculi, and the genus rickettsia of obligate endosymbiotic alpha-proteobacteria. this non-mitochondrial atp/adp carrier was recentl ... | 2007 | 17380892 |
| crystal structure, biochemical and genetic characterization of yeast and e. cuniculi taf(ii)5 n-terminal domain: implications for tfiid assembly. | general transcription factor tfiid plays an essential role in transcription initiation by rna polymerase ii at numerous promoters. however, understanding of the assembly and a full structural characterization of this large 15 subunit complex is lacking. tfiid subunit taf(ii)5 has been shown to be present twice in this complex and to be critical for the function and assembly of tfiid. especially, the taf(ii)5 n-terminal domain is required for its incorporation within tfiid and immuno-labelling ex ... | 2007 | 17397863 |
| a kingdom-specific protein domain hmm library for improved annotation of fungal genomes. | pfam is a general-purpose database of protein domain alignments and profile hidden markov models (hmms), which is very popular for the annotation of sequence data produced by genome sequencing projects. pfam provides models that are often very general in terms of the taxa that they cover and it has previously been suggested that such general models may lack some of the specificity or selectivity that would be provided by kingdom-specific models. | 2007 | 17425790 |
| quantitative assessment of contamination of fresh food produce of various retail types by human-virulent microsporidian spores. | this study demonstrated that fresh food produce, such as berries, sprouts, and green-leafed vegetables, sold at the retail level can contain potentially viable microsporidian spores of human-virulent species, such as enterocytozoon bieneusi, encephalitozoon intestinalis, and encephalitozoon cuniculi, at quantities representing a threat of food-borne infection. | 2007 | 17449682 |
| necrotizing encephalitis of unknown cause in fennoscandian arctic foxes (alopex lagopus). | a neurologic disease affected a colony of endangered fennoscandian arctic foxes (alopex lagopus) kept in captivity for breeding purposes. several outbreaks of disease occurred between 1994 and 2004. the clinical signs included ataxia, indications of anosmia, blindness, and abnormal behavior. the disease was characterized by severe necrotizing encephalitis affecting mostly the cranial cerebrum, basal ganglia, and olfactory bulbs. investigations to identify the etiology of the disease included tes ... | 2007 | 17459845 |
| scaling behavior of nucleotide cluster in dna sequences. | in this paper we study the scaling behavior of nucleotide cluster in 11 chromosomes of encephalitozoon cuniculi genome. the statistical distribution of nucleotide clusters for 11 chromosomes is characterized by the scaling behavior of p(s) proportional, variant e(-alphas), where s represents nucleotide cluster size. the cluster-size distribution p(s(1)+s(2)) with the total size of sequential c-g cluster and a-t cluster s(1)+s(2) were also studied. p(s(1)+s(2)) follows exponential decay. there do ... | 2007 | 17542065 |
| enp1, a microsporidian spore wall protein that enables spores to adhere to and infect host cells in vitro. | microsporidia are spore-forming fungal pathogens that require the intracellular environment of host cells for propagation. we have shown that spores of the genus encephalitozoon adhere to host cell surface glycosaminoglycans (gags) in vitro and that this adherence serves to modulate the infection process. in this study, a spore wall protein (enp1; encephalitozoon cuniculi ecu01_0820) from e. cuniculi and encephalitozoon intestinalis is found to interact with the host cell surface. analysis of th ... | 2007 | 17557882 |
| radiographic signs of renal disease in rabbits. | the radiological features of 65 rabbits with suspected renal disease are reviewed. the radiological features included a generalised increase in bone opacity (osteosclerosis), renomegaly, nephroliths, ureteroliths and soft tissue mineralisation. one or more of these changes were present on radiographs of 57 of the 65 rabbits. renal disease was suspected because of the clinical signs and the presence of kidney stones and/or high blood concentrations of urea and creatinine. significant renal diseas ... | 2007 | 17558026 |
| the structure of the cstf-77 homodimer provides insights into cstf assembly. | the cleavage stimulation factor (cstf) is essential for the first step of poly(a) tail formation at the 3' ends of mrnas. this heterotrimeric complex is built around the 77-kda protein bridging both cstf-64 and cstf-50 subunits. we have solved the crystal structure of the 77-kda protein from encephalitozoon cuniculi at a resolution of 2 a. the structure folds around 11 half-a-tpr repeats defining two domains. the crystal structure reveals a tight homodimer exposing phylogenetically conserved are ... | 2007 | 17584787 |
| studies on the evolution, pathology, and immunity of commercial fattening rabbits affected with epizootic outbreaks of diarrhoeas in mexico: a case report. | epizootic outbreaks of diarrhoeas have emerged and disseminated in different rabbit farms in mexico causing great economical losses, during the past years. seven, 5-weeks-old new zealand white (nzw) rabbits chosen at random from 35 ill animals that were remitted for postmortem, histopathology, and ultrastructural examinations were studied. bacteriological and parasitological studies were carried out in three additional ill rabbits of same age. in a field trail 45, 5-weeks-old apparently healthy ... | 2008 | 17597173 |
| a complete sec61 complex in nosema bombycis and its comparative genomics analyses. | we characterized a complete sec61 complex in nosema bombycis, which has been shown to consist of sec61alpha, sec61beta, and sec61gamma genes. comparing the genomic regions that harbor the respective subunit genes between n. bombycis, encephalitozoon cuniculi, and antonospora locustae, we found that microsporidian genomes have high degree of synteny in short genomic fragment, and that this gene synteny in general might exist throughout microsporidian genomes. | 2007 | 17669164 |
| ifn-gamma-producing dendritic cells are important for priming of gut intraepithelial lymphocyte response against intracellular parasitic infection. | the importance of intraepithelial lymphocytes (iel) in immunoprotection against orally acquired pathogens is being increasingly recognized. recent studies have demonstrated that ag-specific iel can be generated and can provide an important first line of defense against pathogens acquired via oral route. however, the mechanism involved in priming of iel remains elusive. our current study, using a microsporidial model of infection, demonstrates that priming of iel is dependent on ifn-gamma-produci ... | 2007 | 17675510 |
| the complement of protein kinases of the microsporidium encephalitozoon cuniculi in relation to those of saccharomyces cerevisiae and schizosaccharomyces pombe. | microsporidia, parasitic fungi-related eukaryotes infecting many cell types in a wide range of animals (including humans), represent a serious health threat in immunocompromised patients. the 2.9 mb genome of the microsporidium encephalitozoon cuniculi is the smallest known of any eukaryote. eukaryotic protein kinases are a large superfamily of enzymes with crucial roles in most cellular processes, and therefore represent potential drug targets. we report here an exhaustive analysis of the e. cu ... | 2007 | 17784954 |
| spores of two fish microsporidia (pseudoloma neurophilia and glugea anomala) are highly resistant to chlorine. | pseudoloma neurophilia (microsporidia) is the most common pathogen found in zebrafish danio rerio research facilities. the parasite is associated with marked emaciation. zebrafish laboratories usually disinfect eggs to prevent transmission of pathogens, typically with chlorine at 25 to 50 ppm for 10 min. the ability of chlorine to kill spores of p. neurophilia and 2 other microsporidia, glugea anomala and encephalitozoon cuniculi, was evaluated using 2 viability stains. sytox green was used to v ... | 2007 | 17803106 |
| detection of encephalitozoon cuniculi in a new host--cockateel (nymphicus hollandicus) using molecular methods. | a total of 123 avian faecal specimens randomly collected in bohemian commercial aviaries, zoo parks and countryside were screened for the presence of human pathogenic microsporidia by both calcofluor m2r staining and polymerase chain reaction. of these, no positive sample was detected using microscopical examination, and one isolate was detected by polymerase chain reaction and identified as encephalitozoon cuniculi. cockateel (nymphicus hollandicus) represents a new avian host of this microspor ... | 2007 | 17805572 |
| internal hydrocephalus and associated periventricular encephalitis in a young fox. | marked lateral ventricular enlargement associated with atrophic cerebral cortex and periventricular encephalitis is described in a 2-month-old fox affected by disorientation, generalized ataxia, difficulty in walking, circling, and blindness. clinical conditions progressed to stupor and spontaneous death within a few days. at necropsy, severe inflammatory and necrotizing lesions were observed in periventricular sites associated with diverticula and cleft formation in perithalamic areas and rhine ... | 2007 | 17846249 |
| [protein glycosylation in the spores of the microsporidia paranosema (antonospora) grylli]. | long adaptation of microsporidia, a large group of fungi-related protozoa, to intracellular lifestyle has resulted in drastic minimization of a parasite cell. thus, diversity of carbohydrates in microsporidia glycoproteins and proteoglycans is expected to be restricted by o-linked manno-oligosaccharides because three genes involved in o-mannosylation of proteins and no components of n-linked glycosylation machinery were found in genome of human pathogen encephalitozoon cuniculi. in this study we ... | 2007 | 17918346 |
| drugs designed to inhibit human p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activation treat toxoplasma gondii and encephalitozoon cuniculi infection. | we recently showed that the pyridinylimidazoles sb203580 and sb202190, drugs designed to block human p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (mapk) activation, also inhibited replication of the medically important intracellular parasite toxoplasma gondii in cultured human fibroblasts through a direct effect on the parasite. we now show that additional pyridinylimidazole and imidazopyrimidine p38 mapk inhibitors inhibit intracellular t. gondii replication in vitro and protect mice against fatal t. g ... | 2007 | 17923491 |
| patterns of genome evolution among the microsporidian parasites encephalitozoon cuniculi, antonospora locustae and enterocytozoon bieneusi. | microsporidia are intracellular parasites that are highly-derived relatives of fungi. they have compacted genomes and, despite a high rate of sequence evolution, distantly related species can share high levels of gene order conservation. to date, only two species have been analysed in detail, and data from one of these largely consists of short genomic fragments. it is therefore difficult to determine how conservation has been maintained through microsporidian evolution, and impossible to identi ... | 2007 | 18060071 |
| an adp/atp-specific mitochondrial carrier protein in the microsporidian antonospora locustae. | the mitochondrion is one of the defining characteristics of eukaryotic cells, and to date, no eukaryotic lineage has been shown to have lost mitochondria entirely. in certain anaerobic or microaerophilic lineages, however, the mitochondrion has become severely reduced that it lacks a genome and no longer synthesizes atp. one example of such a reduced organelle, called the mitosome, is found in microsporidian parasites. only a handful of potential mitosomal proteins were found to be encoded in th ... | 2008 | 18078956 |
| recognition profiles of microsporidian encephalitozoon cuniculi polar tube protein 1 with human immunoglobulin m antibodies. | microsporidian encephalitozoon cuniculi has a unique organelle called a polar tube (pt), the extrusion of which is absolutely required to invade a host cell. we recently detected anti-e. cuniculi pt immunoglobulin (ig) m antibodies in sera from many healthy individuals. the present one-dimensional (1-d) immunoblot analysis predominantly detected a band at 52 kda in all of the examined human sera with anti-pt igm. the use of mouse monoclonal antibody confirmed that the 52-kda band detected in 1-d ... | 2008 | 18086012 |
| clinical symptoms and diagnosis of encephalitozoonosis in pet rabbits. | infections with encephalitozoon cuniculi in rabbits are observed at increasing frequency and are known as opportunistic infections in immunocompromised humans. 191 pet rabbits with suspected encephalitozoonosis, presented at the animal hospital of the veterinary university of vienna (austria), were included in this study. rabbits were serologically examined for antibodies against e. cuniculi (144 positive out of 184 rabbits with suspected encephalitozoonosis compared to 14 positive out of 40 cli ... | 2008 | 18164135 |
| comparative profiling of overlapping transcription in the compacted genomes of microsporidia antonospora locustae and encephalitozoon cuniculi. | microsporidia are highly adapted parasites related to fungi with compact, gene-dense genomes. it has previously been shown in the microsporidian antonospora locustae that transcripts from any given gene overlap with adjacent genes at a high frequency, perhaps due to the compact nature of its genome. however, it is still not known if this phenomenon is widespread among microsporidia or conserved between species, or even whether it is strictly correlated with compaction. to address these questions ... | 2008 | 18280697 |
| localization and functionality of microsporidian iron-sulphur cluster assembly proteins. | microsporidia are highly specialized obligate intracellular parasites of other eukaryotes (including humans) that show extreme reduction at the molecular, cellular and biochemical level. although microsporidia have long been considered as early branching eukaryotes that lack mitochondria, they have recently been shown to contain a tiny mitochondrial remnant called a mitosome. the function of the mitosome is unknown, because microsporidians lack the genes for canonical mitochondrial functions, su ... | 2008 | 18311129 |
| distinct localization patterns of two putative mitochondrial proteins in the microsporidian encephalitozoon cuniculi. | microsporidia were once considered amitochondriate, but have now been found to retain relict mitochondria called mitosomes. these organelles have been identified by immunolocalization in trachipleistophora hominis, whereas most data on function have been inferred from the presence of mitochondrial protein-encoding sequences in the genome of encephalitozoon cuniculi. here we describe the localization of two such enzymes in e. cuniculi cells. immunofluorescent localization of ferredoxin involved i ... | 2008 | 18318866 |
| serological survey for antibodies to encephalitozoon cuniculi in pet rabbits in italy. | pet rabbits (n = 125) from southern italy were submitted to a serological screening for encephalitozoon cuniculi, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) and a carbon immunoassay (cia). seventy-eight examined rabbits showed clinical signs suggestive of encephalitozoonosis (head tilt, ataxia, paralysis, cataracts, uveitis, polyuria and polydipsia), whereas 47 were healthy rabbits. antibodies anti-e. cuniculi were found in 84/125 (67.2%) sera analysed. the results of the chi-squared tes ... | 2008 | 18331521 |
| efficacy of gamma interferon and specific antibody for treatment of microsporidiosis caused by encephalitozoon cuniculi in scid mice. | microsporidia are eukaryotic, obligate, intracellular protists that are emerging pathogens in immunocompromised hosts, including aids patients and organ transplant recipients. the efficacy of gamma interferon (ifn-gamma) for the treatment of microsporidiosis caused by encephalitozoon cuniculi was studied by means of adoptive transfer and ifn-gamma administration in scid mice. while the adoptive transfer of cd4(+) t cells from immunocompetent mice prolonged survival of scid mice infected perorall ... | 2008 | 18347109 |
| encephalitozoonosis in household pet nederland dwarf rabbits (oryctolagus cuniculus). | the paper presents the results of examination of 32 domestically bred rabbits, the breed nederland dwarf of oryctolagus cuniculus, for the presence of encephalitozoon cuniculi microsporidian species. the results of serological tests for e. cuniculi in 32 rabbits are reviewed along with other follow-up studies of clinical cases. blood samples were taken from 7 asymptomatic rabbits and 25 rabbits showing neurological and ocular signs suggestive of encephalitozoonosis. in the asymptomatic group, 5 ... | 2008 | 18378398 |
| the nascent parasitophorous vacuole membrane of encephalitozoon cuniculi is formed by host cell lipids and contains pores which allow nutrient uptake. | microsporidia are obligate intracellular pathogens which enter host cells by the discharge of a hollow tube through which the sporoplasma is extruded into the host cell. since this invasion mechanism is very different from common entry strategies, the formation of the parasitophorous vacuole (pv) in encephalitozoon species is likely to be distinct from known principles. we investigated the origin of the nascent encephalitozoon cuniculi pv membrane with the aid of fluorescent lipid probes. when b ... | 2008 | 18408058 |
| encephalitozoon cuniculi-associated placentitis and perinatal death in an alpaca (lama pacos). | placentitis, premature birth, and perinatal death were associated with encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in an alpaca. histologically, chorionic trophoblasts contained many gram-positive, period acid-schiff positive, variably acid-fast spores. multifocal necrosis and infiltration by lymphocytes, eosinophils, and neutrophils were scattered throughout the chorionic membrane. spores in trophoblasts were approximately 1 microm x 2 microm, thick-walled, and contained polar filaments and polar vacuol ... | 2008 | 18424843 |
| a novel route for atp acquisition by the remnant mitochondria of encephalitozoon cuniculi. | mitochondria use transport proteins of the eukaryotic mitochondrial carrier family (mcf) to mediate the exchange of diverse substrates, including atp, with the host cell cytosol. according to classical endosymbiosis theory, insertion of a host-nuclear-encoded mcf transporter into the protomitochondrion was the key step that allowed the host cell to harvest atp from the enslaved endosymbiont. notably the genome of the microsporidian encephalitozoon cuniculi has lost all of its genes for mcf prote ... | 2008 | 18449191 |
| analysis of cerebrospinal fluid in healthy rabbits and rabbits with clinically suspected encephalitozoonosis. | samples of uncontaminated cerebrospinal fluid (csf) were collected from the cisterna magna of 20 healthy laboratory rabbits and 21 pet rabbits with vestibular disease and/or paresis due to clinically suspected encephalitozoonosis. in the healthy rabbits' csf the leucocyte count was <or=4 leucocytes/microl (median 1.5 microl) and the concentration of protein ranged from 0.13 to 0.31 g/l (median 0.24 g/l). in the diseased rabbits, the number of leucocytes ranged from 1 to 87/microl (median 15/micr ... | 2008 | 18480021 |
| protozoan protein tyrosine phosphatases. | the aim of this review is to provide a synthesis of the published experimental data on protein tyrosine phosphatases from parasitic protozoa, in silico analysis based on the availability of completed genomes and to place available data for individual phosphatases from different unicellular parasites into the comparative and evolutionary context. we analysed the complement of protein tyrosine phosphatases (ptp) in several species of unicellular parasites that belong to apicomplexa (plasmodium; cr ... | 2008 | 18547579 |
| ests from the microsporidian edhazardia aedis. | microsporidia are a group of parasites related to fungi that infect a wide variety of animals and have gained recognition from the medical community in the past 20 years due to their ability to infect immuno-compromised humans. microsporidian genomes range in size from 2.3 to 19.5 mbp, but almost all of our knowledge comes from species that have small genomes (primarily from the human parasite encephalitozoon cuniculi and the locust parasite antonospora locustae). we have conducted an est survey ... | 2008 | 18570666 |
| seroprevalence of antibodies to encephalitozoon cuniculi in domestic rabbits in nigeria. | serum samples from 237 randomized rabbits from the five ecological zones of nigeria, i.e. northwest (nw), northeast (ne), southeast (se), southwest (sw) and northcentral (nc), were evaluated for the presence of antibodies to encephalitozoon cuniculi by the indirect immunofluorescent antibodies test. a titre of 10 or more was taken as positive. thirty-nine (16.5%) of the 237 samples were positive with 11, 10, 8, 6 and 4 seropositive rabbits occurring in the nw, ne, se, sw and nc zones of nigeria, ... | 2008 | 18575061 |
| mouse monoclonal immunoglobulin e antibodies specific for the microsporidian encephalitozoon cuniculi polar tube protein 1. | the microsporidian encephalitozoon cuniculi is a spore-forming, obligate, intracellular parasitic pathogen with a unique organelle called a polar tube, the extrusion of which is essential for invading a host cell. the polar tube consists of three proteins: polar tube protein 1 (ptp1), ptp2, and ptp3. we established three mouse monoclonal antibodies (mab1, mab2, and mab4) against e. cuniculi ptp1. an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) indicated that all three mabs reacted with the outer su ... | 2008 | 18582207 |
| comparative analysis of trichomonad genome sizes and karyotypes. | in parasitic protists, the genome sizes range from 2.9mb in encephalitozoon cuniculi to about 160mb in trichomonas vaginalis. the suprisingly large genome size of the former human parasite resulted from the expansion of various repetitive elements, specific gene families, and possibly from large-scale genome duplication. the reason for this phenomenon, as well as whether other trichomonad species have undergone a similar genome expansion, is not known. in this work we studied the genomes of nine ... | 2008 | 18606195 |
| protein ser/thr phosphatases of parasitic protozoa. | protein phosphorylation is an important mechanism implicated in physiology of any organism, including parasitic protozoa. enzymes that control protein phosphorylation (kinases and phosphatases) are considered promising targets for drug development. this review attempts to provide the first account of the current understanding of the structure, regulation and biological functions of protein ser/thr phosphatases in unicellular parasites. we have examined the complements of phosphatases ("phosphato ... | 2008 | 18619495 |
| fatal disseminated encephalitozoonosis in a captive, adult goeldi's monkey (callimico goeldii) and subsequent serosurvey of the exposed conspecifics. | a captive, adult male goeldi's monkey (callimico goeldii) (gm) presented in acute respiratory distress 4 yr after importation into the united states from europe. radiographs and echocardiogram were consistent with heart failure. the monkey died within 24 hr of presentation. necropsy findings included multicentric arteritis and aortitis with aneurysm associated with microsporidian organisms morphologically consistent with encephalitozoon species. polymerase chain reaction confirmed organisms were ... | 2008 | 18634213 |
| plasticity of the hsp90 chaperone machine in divergent eukaryotic organisms. | hsp90 is critical for the regulation and activation of numerous client proteins critical for diverse functions such as cell growth, differentiation, and reproduction. cytosolic hsp90 function is dependent on a battery of co-chaperone proteins that regulate the atpase activity of hsp90 function or direct hsp90 to interact with specific client proteins. little is known about how hsp90 complexes vary between different organisms and how this affects the scope of clients that are activated by hsp90. ... | 2009 | 18636345 |
| multiple rdna units distributed on all chromosomes of nosema bombycis. | among microsporidia, nosema bombycis has a novel arrangement of lsurrna, ssurrna, its, igs and 5srrna. to determine the distribution of rdna among the chromosomes, we performed genome-wide screening and southern blotting with three probes (ssu, its and igs). southern blotting revealed that ribosomal rna genes are distributed on all chromosomes of n. bombycis, which is contrary to the previous result, which concluded that the n. bombycis rrna genes were limited to a single chromosome. this wide d ... | 2008 | 18640121 |
| toll-like receptor 2 recognition of the microsporidia encephalitozoon spp. induces nuclear translocation of nf-kappab and subsequent inflammatory responses. | microsporidia are obligate intracellular parasites that are ubiquitous in nature and have been recognized as causing an important emerging disease among immunocompromised individuals. limited knowledge exists about the immune response against these organisms, and virtually nothing is known about the receptors involved in host recognition. toll-like receptors (tlr) are pattern recognition receptors that bind to specific molecules found on pathogens and signal a variety of inflammatory responses. ... | 2008 | 18678660 |
| an environmental perspective on large-scale genome clustering based on metabolic capabilities. | in principle, an organism's ability to survive in a speci.c environment, is an observable result of the organism's regulatory and metabolic capabilities. nonetheless, current knowledge about the global relation of the metabolisms and the niches of organisms is still limited. | 2008 | 18689840 |
| frequent occurrence of human-associated microsporidia in fecal droppings of urban pigeons in amsterdam, the netherlands. | human-associated microsporidia were frequently observed in fecal samples of 331 feral pigeons in amsterdam, the netherlands, obtained during high- and low-breeding periods. thirty-six of 331 samples (11%) contained the human pathogens enterocytozoon bieneusi (n = 18), encephalitozoon hellem (n = 11), encephalitozoon cuniculi (n = 6), and encephalitozoon intestinalis (n = 1); 5 samples contained other microsporidia. pigeon feces can be an important source of human microsporidian infection. | 2008 | 18805997 |
| serological survey for antibodies to encephalitozoon cuniculi in ownerless dogs from urban areas of brazil and colombia. | there are 3 strains of encephalitozoon cuniculi that occur in mammals. strain iii is associated with clinical disease in dogs, although some can be asymptomatic carriers and excrete spores in their urine. several cases of human e. cuniculi infection caused by strain iii have been observed in immunocompromised patients, indicating that e. cuniculi should be considered a zoonotic agent. encephalitozoon cuniculi can cause fatal disease in maternally-infected or young dogs. clinical signs in these a ... | 2009 | 18939900 |
| encephalitozoonosis in pet rabbits (oryctolagus cuniculus): pathohistological findings in animals with latent infection versus clinical manifestation. | encephalitozoon cuniculi is a common infectious agent of rabbits. the aim of this study was to determine the distribution and extent of histological lesions in the brain and in the kidney of naturally infected pet rabbits with or without clinical encephalitozoonosis. in 71 animals (33 with symptoms) which died or were euthanised, histopathological examination including staining of spores (ziehl-neelsen, acid-fast trichrome) was performed and changes were described quantitatively. the cerebrum wa ... | 2009 | 18998169 |
| aging mice exhibit a functional defect in mucosal dendritic cell response against an intracellular pathogen. | down-regulation of the immune response in aging individuals puts this population at a potential risk against infectious agents. in-depth studies conducted in humans and mouse models have demonstrated that with increasing age, the t cell immune response against pathogens is compromised and response to vaccinations is subdued. in the present study, using a mouse model, we demonstrate that older animals exhibit greater susceptibility to encephalitozoon cuniculi infection, and their ability to evoke ... | 2008 | 19017989 |
| phylogenetic characterization of encephalitozoon romaleae (microsporidia) from a grasshopper host: relationship to encephalitozoon spp. infecting humans. | encephalitozoon species are the most common microsporidian pathogens of humans and domesticated animals. we recently discovered a new microsporidium, encephalitozoon romaleae, infecting the eastern lubber grasshopper romalea microptera. to understand its evolutionary relationships, we compared partial gene sequences of alpha- and beta-tubulin and methionine aminopeptidase 2 enzyme from this and related species. we also analyzed the rrna internal transcribed spacer. based on tubulin and metap-2 g ... | 2009 | 19027883 |
| evidence of a reduced and modified mitochondrial protein import apparatus in microsporidian mitosomes. | microsporidia are a group of highly adapted obligate intracellular parasites that are now recognized as close relatives of fungi. their adaptation to parasitism has resulted in broad and severe reduction at (i) a genomic level by extensive gene loss, gene compaction, and gene shortening; (ii) a biochemical level with the loss of much basic metabolism; and (iii) a cellular level, resulting in lost or cryptic organelles. consistent with this trend, the mitochondrion is severely reduced, lacking at ... | 2009 | 19028997 |
| high seroprevalence of encephalitozoon cuniculi in pet rabbits in japan. | infection with encephalitozoon cuniculi in rabbits frequently exists as a chronic, latent infection, and only a percentage of infected animals develop clinical disease. this study presents a seroepidemiological study of e. cunicucli infection in 337 pet rabbits collected from 20 prefectures in japan in 2006 and 2007, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) capable of measuring igg and igm antibodies. these rabbits were divided into the following four groups: healthy and isolated rabbits ... | 2008 | 19122395 |
| genomic survey of the non-cultivatable opportunistic human pathogen, enterocytozoon bieneusi. | enterocytozoon bieneusi is the most common microsporidian associated with human disease, particularly in the immunocompromised population. in the setting of hiv infection, it is associated with diarrhea and wasting syndrome. like all microsporidia, e. bieneusi is an obligate, intracellular parasite, but unlike others, it is in direct contact with the host cell cytoplasm. studies of e. bieneusi have been greatly limited due to the absence of genomic data and lack of a robust cultivation system. h ... | 2009 | 19132089 |
| genetic identification of intestinal microsporidia species in immunocompromised patients in tunisia. | stool samples from 86 immunocompromised patients (51 human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)-infected patients and 35 patients with haematologic malignancies) were systematically screened for intestinal microspordiosis by microscopic examination and polymerase chain reaction (pcr) using universal primer v1/pmp2. nine samples (10.5%) showed amplification with the predictive size of fragment (6 from hiv-infected patients and 3 from patients with myeloma). only 5 out of them (all hiv-infected patients) ... | 2009 | 19141834 |
| in vitro culture of various species of microsporidia causing keratitis: evaluation of three immortalized cell lines. | being intracellular parasites, microsporidia can only be propagated in cell culture systems. this study evaluated three cell lines to determine the most suitable host-parasite in vitro system. confluent monolayers of vero, sirc, and hela cell lines, grown in 24-well tissue culture plates, were inoculated with varying concentrations (1 x 10(4) to 1 x 10(8) spores/ml) of vittaforma corneae, encephalitozoon hellem, encephalitozoon cuniculi, and encephalitozoon intestinalis spores. growth was compar ... | 2009 | 19172057 |
| immune response of e. cuniculi infected mice to aflatoxin b1. | the immunomodulatory effects of aflatoxin b1 (afb1) on mice experimentally infected with encephalitozoon cuniculi (e. cuniculi) were studied. mice inoculated intraperitoneally with spores of e. cuniculi drank a daily solution of afb1 (0.2 mg kg(-1) of body weight) for 27 days. application of afb1 to mice demonstrated a decrease of immunocompetent cells. on the other hand, the mice infected with e. cuniculi and given afb1 showed significant increased number of both monocytes and cd8+ t cells, and ... | 2003 | 19180805 |
| serological survey of encephalitozoon cuniculi in farm rabbits in italy. | rabbit sera (n=1600) from 40 commercial farms were submitted to a serological screening for encephalitozoon cuniculi by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) and a carbon immunoassay (cia test). antibodies anti-encephalitozoon cuniculi were found in 505/1600 (31.6%) sera analysed, and all the farms (100%) resulted positive. rabbits older than 4 months showed a significantly higher seropositivity for e. cuniculi (chi-squared test: p<0.0001) than rabbits under 4 months, e. cuniculi sero-pre ... | 2009 | 19185894 |