Gs. Visvesvara et al., IN-VITRO CULTURE AND SEROLOGIC AND MOLECULAR-IDENTIFICATION OF SEPTATA-INTESTINALIS ISOLATED FROM URINE OF A PATIENT WITH AIDS, Journal of clinical microbiology, 33(4), 1995, pp. 930-936
Microsporidian spores were identified, on the basis of Weber's stainin
g, in urine, stool, nasal, and saliva samples of an AIDS patient with
diarrhea, hematuria, dysuria, and dementia. Urine and stool samples co
ntained numerous spores, whereas few spores were seen in the nasal and
saliva samples. Spores were concentrated from urine samples and inocu
lated into monkey kidney cell (E6) monolayers. After 6 to 8 weeks of c
ulture, infected E6 cells filled with spores as well as spores free in
the culture supernatants were seen daily. Transmission electron micro
scopy revealed that all stages of the parasite (CDC:V297) developed wi
thin septated, honeycomb-shaped parasitophorous vacuoles. Indirect imm
unofluorescence and immunoblotting studies using rabbit anti-Encephali
tozoon cuniculi, anti-Encephalitozoon hellem, and anti-CDC:V297 sera r
evealed that CDC:V297 reacted intensely with the homologous serum but
minimally with the heterologous sera. DNA isolated from CDC:V297, when
PCR amplified with E. hellem and E. cuniculi primers, did not produce
the diagnostic bands of similar to 547 and similar to 549 bp characte
ristic of E. hellem and E. cuniculi, respectively. On the basis of the
se studies, we concluded that CDC:V297 fits the description of Septata
intestinalis.