Enterocytozoon bieneusi, a microsporidian parasite, has been recognized since 1985 as an agent of intestinal microsporidiosis leading to malabsorption syndrome, diarrhea, and weight loss in AIDS patients. Recently, however, we have identified E. bieneusi spores in the sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage, and stool samples of an AIDS patient with a 2-year history of intestinal microsporidiosis. The s...

A prospective observational study was conducted to determine the prevalence and the clinical impact of intestinal parasitic infections in diarrheal illness among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected children hospitalized with diarrhea in Bangkok, Thailand. Stool samples were examined for intestinal parasites using a simple smear method, a formalin-ether concentration method, a modified acid-fast sta...

BACKGROUND This study aimed to compare three staining methods including: Calcofluor white, Chromotrope and Quick Hot Gram chromotrope used in diagnosis of intestinal microsporidial spores. METHODS One hundred and seventy five stool specimens were collected from patients referred to Laboratory of Intestinal Protozoology at the School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences duri...

We report the first case of a non-Enterocytozoon bieneusi microsporidial infection in the small intestine of a European AIDS patient with diarrhoea. It is also the first case in which a double infection with two different types of microsporidia has been encountered.

The case definition of AIDS encompasses a spectrum of infections and malignancies, labelled as opportunistic infections. In recent years, numerous studies have outlined the emergence of opportunistic gastrointestinal protozoa that have caused diarrhoeal illness among HIV – AIDS patients. Purpose of present study was to determine the prevalence of opportunistic intestinal protozoal parasites in ...

With the use of Weber's modified trichrome and Uvitex 2B techniques, spores of microsporidia were detected in the stools of four travelers presenting clinically with chronic diarrhea. The general health of these patients was not impaired, and human immunodeficiency virus screening was negative. Immune evaluation, including the study of lymphocytic subpopulations, assay of serum immunoglobulins,...

The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of the intestinal parasites most commonly found in immunocompromised patients. A group of 111 individuals with acute lymphoid leukaemia (ALL), chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other immunocompromised conditions (principally haematological disorders) was selected. A battery of tests was perf...

Sixteen horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata) and six parakeet auklet (Cyclorrhynchus psittacula) chicks of various prefledging ages were caught in Alaska and transported to the North Carolina Zoological Park (USA) in August 1995. Six of the 16 puffin chicks died within a 5-day period beginning 2 days after their arrival into quarantine at the zoo. The birds that died were collected at a young...

The microsporidium Enterocytozoon bieneusi is closely linked to wasting and diarrhea in a high proportion of individuals with AIDS. However, its relative contribution to disease is uncertain because diagnosis until recently depended on procedures involving endoscopy. A sensitive PCR technique which amplifies a fragment of the small-subunit rRNA gene of E. bieneusi from formalin-fixed stool samp...