Microsporidiosis: current status.

Area of Science:

• Parasitology
• Infectious Diseases
• Genomics

Background:

• Microsporidiosis is an emerging opportunistic infection with diverse clinical presentations in humans.
• Recent research focuses on the evolution of microsporidia, supported by their compact genomes and phylogenetic links to fungi.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent research on human microsporidiosis over the past two years.
• To highlight advancements in understanding microsporidian infections and identify knowledge gaps.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies published in the last two years.
• Analysis of research on microsporidian genomics, phylogenetics, diagnostics, and clinical manifestations.

Main Results:

• Microsporidia's relationship with fungi is further supported by comparative genomics and phylogenetics.
• Increased awareness and improved diagnostics have led to the identification of microsporidiosis in a wider range of human populations, including HIV patients, travelers, children, transplant recipients, and the elderly.

Conclusions:

• Effective treatments for Enterocytozoon bieneusi, the most common human microsporidian, are lacking, necessitating urgent development of new models.
• Strategies for water safety through environmental transport modeling and disinfection are being explored.
• Unanswered questions remain regarding persistent infections, reactivation, and transmission routes (e.g., pregnancy, organ donation).
• Development of reliable serological diagnostic methods is crucial to complement existing techniques like PCR and histochemistry, especially when spore shedding is sporadic.