IMMUNOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERISTICS OF ENCEPHNLITOZOON-LIKE MICROSPORIDIA ISOLATED FROM HUMANS AND RABBITS INDICATE THAT ENCEPHALITOZOON-CUNICULI IS A ZOONOTIC PARASITE

To assess the zoonotic potential of Encephalitozoon-like microsporidia , we isolated and cultivated spores from specimens of urine, respirato ry secretions, and stool from six patients infected with human immunod eficiency virus and from nine rabbits. Because spores of Encephalitozo on-like species are indistinguishable by microscopy, we characterized the isolates by western blot analysis and by restriction enzyme analys is of the small subunit (SSU) rDNA after amplification by the polymera se chain reaction, We identified Septata intestinalis in one patient a nd Encephalitozoon hellem in two symptomatic patients. Encephalitozoon cuniculi was found in all rabbits and in three patients. One of these patients had clinical manifestations of infection with this parasite (severe interstitial pneumonitis). We observed abatement of symptoms a nd cessation of parasite excretion when these patients were treated wi th albendazole. Our findings suggest that E. cuniculi may be pathogeni c in humans and that it is a zoonotic parasite.