Detection of Encephalitozoon spp. from Human Diarrheal Stool and Farm Soil Samples in Korea.
10.3346/jkms.2015.30.3.227
- Author:
Kyungjin KIM
1
;
Sejoung YOON
;
Hyeng Il CHEUN
;
Jae Hwan KIM
;
Seobo SIM
;
Jae Ran YU
Author Information
1. Department of Environmental and Tropical Medicine & Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Konkuk University, School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. maria205@kku.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords:
Microsporidia;
Encephalitozoon intestinalis;
Encephalitozoon hellem;
Real-time PCR;
Diarrhea;
Soil
- MeSH:
AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/parasitology;
Adolescent;
Adult;
Aged;
Agriculture;
Base Sequence;
Child;
Child, Preschool;
DNA, Intergenic/genetics;
DNA, Protozoan/genetics;
Encephalitozoon/*genetics/*isolation & purification;
Encephalitozoonosis/*epidemiology;
Feces/*parasitology;
Female;
Fungal Proteins/genetics;
Humans;
Infant;
Infant, Newborn;
Male;
Middle Aged;
Molecular Typing;
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction;
Republic of Korea/epidemiology;
Sequence Alignment;
Sequence Analysis, DNA;
Soil/*parasitology;
Young Adult
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science
2015;30(3):227-232
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Microsporidia are eukaryotic organisms that cause zoonosis and are major opportunistic pathogens in HIV-positive patients. However, there is increasing evidence that these organisms can also cause gastrointestinal and ocular infections in immunocompetent individuals. In Korea, there have been no reports on human infections with microsporidia to date. In the present study, we used real-time PCR and nucleotide sequencing to detect Encephalitozoon intestinalis infection in seven of 139 human diarrheal stool specimens (5%) and Encephalitozoon hellem in three of 34 farm soil samples (8.8%). Genotype analysis of the E. hellem isolates based on the internal transcribed spacer 1 and polar tube protein genes showed that all isolates were genotype 1B. To our knowledge, this is the first report on human E. intestinalis infection in Korea and the first report revealing farm soil samples as a source of E. hellem infection. Because microsporidia are an important public health issue, further large-scale epidemiological studies are warranted.
