[Morphological study of Enterocytozoon bineousi in patients with AIDS and chronic diarrhea]

Microsporidia are protozoan parasites responsible for significant gastrointestinal disease in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. We report the clinical features of three patients with chronic diarrhea and intestinal microsporidiosis caused by Enterocytozoon bieneusi. The average value for CD4 in these patients was < or = 50 cells/mm3. The spores were detected in smears from stool samples and duodenal aspirates stained with trichrome blue in all patients. Light microscopy of semi-thin plastic sections revealed parasites and spores in the enterocytes and were associated with villous atrophy (2 out of 3). Thin section-electron microscopy showed a variety of developmental stages of the microsporidio. Patients treated with Albendazole had an unsatisfactory clinical response to therapy. Enterocytozoon bieneusi infection may be an important cause of diarrhea in patients with AIDS in our country.