Weiss L M, Cali A, Levee E, LaPlace D, Tanowitz H, Simon D, Wittner M
Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1992 Oct;47(4):456-62. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1992.47.456.
Microsporidia are very primitive, eukaryotic, obligate, intracellular, protozoan parasites. Encephalitozoon cuniculi, a microsporidian originally described from a rabbit infection, has been described in humans as well as in many species of laboratory animals. We report the detection of E. cuniculi by Western blotting in a rabbit with torticollis that was obtained from an Encephalitozoon-free colony. Cross-reactivity of this serum was observed with antigens prepared from several genera of microsporidia. Identical Western blotting patterns were obtained with sera obtained from a rabbit immunized with E. cuniculi that was purified from tissue culture cells. In addition, we were able to demonstrate cross-reactivity between E. cuniculi rabbit antisera and Enterocytozoon bieneusi antigens by indirect immunofluorescent assay techniques in human intestinal biopsy samples. These cross-reactions between microsporidia may be useful in developing diagnostic tests for non-cultivatable microsporidia such as Enterocytozoon bieneusi.
微孢子虫是非常原始的真核、专性、细胞内原生动物寄生虫。兔脑炎微孢子虫最初是从一只感染的兔子中发现的，现在在人类以及许多种实验动物中也有发现。我们报告了在一只来自无脑炎微孢子虫种群的患斜颈的兔子中通过蛋白质印迹法检测到兔脑炎微孢子虫。观察到该血清与从几个微孢子虫属制备的抗原有交叉反应。用从组织培养细胞中纯化的兔脑炎微孢子虫免疫的兔子血清获得了相同的蛋白质印迹图谱。此外，我们能够通过间接免疫荧光分析技术在人类肠道活检样本中证明兔脑炎微孢子虫抗血清与比氏肠微孢子虫抗原之间的交叉反应。微孢子虫之间的这些交叉反应可能有助于开发针对诸如比氏肠微孢子虫等不可培养微孢子虫的诊断测试。
