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Published on: May 21, 2015
Detection of Encephalitozoon spp. from human diarrheal stool and farm soil samples in Korea
Kyungjin Kim1, Sejoung Yoon1, Hyeng-Il Cheun2
1Department of Environmental and Tropical Medicine & Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Konkuk University, School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
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.
Insights
This study reports the first human Encephalitozoon intestinalis infections in Korea and identifies farm soil as a source of Encephalitozoon hellem. These findings highlight microsporidia as a significant public health concern requiring further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Microsporidia are eukaryotic pathogens causing zoonotic and opportunistic infections, particularly in HIV-positive individuals.
- Emerging evidence indicates microsporidia can also infect immunocompetent individuals, causing gastrointestinal and ocular issues.
- No prior reports of human microsporidian infections existed in Korea.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of microsporidian infections in human diarrheal stool samples in Korea.
- To identify potential environmental sources of microsporidian infections.
- To characterize the genotypes of detected microsporidian isolates.
Main Methods:
- Real-time PCR was employed to detect microsporidia in human stool samples.
- Nucleotide sequencing was used for species identification and genotype analysis.
- Farm soil samples were also analyzed for the presence of microsporidia.
Main Results:
- Encephalitozoon intestinalis was detected in 5% (7/139) of human diarrheal stool specimens.
- Encephalitozoon hellem was identified in 8.8% (3/34) of farm soil samples.
- All E. hellem isolates belonged to genotype 1B based on ITS1 and PTP gene analysis.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence of human E. intestinalis infection in Korea.
- Farm soil is identified as a potential reservoir for E. hellem transmission.
- Further large-scale epidemiological studies are crucial to understand the public health impact of microsporidia.
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