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Microsporidia, a Highly Adaptive Organism and Its Host Expansion to Humans

Nirin Seatamanoch1,2, Switt Kongdachalert1,2, Sakone Sunantaraporn2

  • 1Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
|July 5, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Emerging infectious diseases highlight zoonotic risks beyond viruses. Microsporidia, single-celled organisms, can cause severe disseminated infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals, necessitating further study on transmission routes.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Parasitology

Background:

  • COVID-19 pandemic increased focus on emerging infectious diseases and zoonotic origins.
  • Microsporidia are single-celled eukaryotic organisms with a broad host range, including humans.
  • Disseminated microsporidiosis can be fatal, especially in immunocompromised individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review biological and clinical data on disseminated microsporidiosis and *Trachipleistophora hominis* infections in humans.
  • To explore potential zoonotic transmission patterns of microsporidia.
  • To highlight the increased risk for immunocompromised individuals.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of worldwide case reports of disseminated microsporidiosis.
  • Analysis of case reports specifically for *Trachipleistophora hominis* infections.
  • Phylogenetic analysis (Maximum Likelihood tree) to infer transmission patterns.

Main Results:

  • A total of 22 cases of disseminated microsporidiosis were reported globally, involving ten different microsporidia species.
  • Phylogenetic analysis suggested possible zoonotic transmission routes for some species.
  • *Trachipleistophora hominis* has eight reported human cases, with seven linked to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.

Conclusions:

  • Disseminated microsporidiosis poses a significant threat, particularly to immunocompromised populations.
  • The review underscores the importance of understanding microsporidia's life cycle for effective prevention.
  • Further research is needed to identify transmission routes and develop targeted preventive strategies for high-risk groups.
Keywords:
Trachipleistophora hominisdisseminated microsporidiosismicrosporidiaopportunistic infectionzoonosis

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