Document 0628
 DOCN  M9550628
 TI    Polyclonal and monoclonal antibody and PCR-amplified small-subunit rRNA
       identification of a microsporidian, Encephalitozoon hellem, isolated
       from an AIDS patient with disseminated infection.
 DT    9505
 AU    Visvesvara GS; Leitch GJ; da Silva AJ; Croppo GP; Moura H; Wallace S;
       Slemenda SB; Schwartz DA; Moss D; Bryan RT; et al; Division of Parasitic
       Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and; Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
       30341-3724.
 SO    J Clin Microbiol. 1994 Nov;32(11):2760-8. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       GENBANK/L19070
 AB    Microsporidia are primitive, spore-forming, mitochondria-lacking,
       eukaryotic protozoa that are obligate intracellular parasites. They are
       known to parasitize almost every group of animals including humans.
       Recently, microsporidia have increasingly been found to infect patients
       with AIDS. Five genera (Encephalitozoon, Enterocytozoon, Nosema,
       Septata, and Pleistophora) of microsporidia are known to infect humans.
       Enterocytozoon organisms cause gastrointestinal disease in a majority of
       AIDS patients with microsporidiosis. However, a smaller, but an
       expanding, number of patients with AIDS are being diagnosed with ocular
       and disseminated infection with Encephalitozoon hellem. Although
       microsporidial spores can be identified in clinical samples by a
       staining technique such as one with Weber's chromotrope stain,
       identification to the species level is dependent on cumbersome and
       time-consuming electron microscopy. We have recently isolated and
       established in continuous culture several strains of E. hellem from
       urine, bronchoalveolar lavage, and sputum samples from AIDS patients
       with disseminated microsporidiosis. We developed polyclonal and
       monoclonal antibodies and PCR primers to a strain of E. hellem that can
       be used successfully to identify E. hellem from other species of
       microsporidia either in clinical specimens or in cultures established
       from clinical specimens. Since patients infected with Encephalitozoon
       spp. are known to respond favorably to albendazole, identification of
       the parasite to the species level would be invaluable in the treatment
       of disseminated microsporidiosis.
 DE    Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*PARASITOLOGY  Animal  Antibodies,
       Monoclonal/*IMMUNOLOGY  Antigens, Protozoan/*ANALYSIS  Base Sequence
       DNA, Protozoan/*ANALYSIS  Encephalitozoon/GENETICS/IMMUNOLOGY/*ISOLATION
       & PURIF  Female  Human  Immunoblotting  Mice  Mice, Inbred BALB C
       Molecular Sequence Data  *Polymerase Chain Reaction  Rabbits  RNA,
       Ribosomal/*GENETICS  Support, Non-U.S. Gov't  Support, U.S. Gov't,
       P.H.S.  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).