TRANSMISSION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF A PERSISTENT INFECTION OF ENTEROCYTOZOON-BIENEUSI, DERIVED FROM A HUMAN WITH AIDS, IN SIMIAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS-INFECTED RHESUS-MONKEYS

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is closely linked with chronic diarrhea and wa sting in AIDS, Although reported >10 years ago, little is known about the infection and the disease it induces in humans. Duodenal E. bieneu si spores from an AIDS patient were orally transmitted to 2 simian imm unodeficiency virus-infected rhesus monkeys. Both animals began sheddi ng spores within a week of inoculation, as confirmed by microscopy and polymerase chain reaction, and continued until euthanatized 7 and 8 m onths later. E. bieneusi infection in the gut was sparse, either becau se of moderate numbers of circulating CD4 cells or because monkeys are less susceptible than humans to this infection, This is apparently th e first documented transmission of E. bieneusi infection between hosts .