IN-VITRO CULTURE AND SEROLOGIC AND MOLECULAR-IDENTIFICATION OF SEPTATA-INTESTINALIS ISOLATED FROM URINE OF A PATIENT WITH AIDS

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.