Deng Mingqi, Rutherford Mark S, Abrahamsen Mitchell S
Department of Veterinary PathoBiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, 1988 Fitch Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.
Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2004 Apr 19;56(6):869-84. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2003.10.034.
Cryptosporidium parvum is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that is a well-recognized cause of diarrhea in humans and animals throughout the world, and is associated with a substantial degree of morbidity and mortality in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). C. parvum primarily infects epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in acute watery diarrhea for which there is no effective therapy. During infection, all parasite development, sexual or asexual, occurs within epithelial cells of the host. This requires a unique and complex association between two distinct eukaryotic organisms. Conversely, due to the intracellular nature of C. parvum, epithelial cells appear to play a key role in activating and communicating with the host immune system. Delineation of the biochemical processes that are regulated within infected epithelial cells is crucial for understanding the pathology of C. parvum infection, the process by which the host clears and ultimately develops resistance to infection, and the development of chemotherapeutic strategies to intercede infections.
微小隐孢子虫是一种专性细胞内原生动物寄生虫，是全世界人类和动物腹泻的公认病因，与获得性免疫缺陷综合征（AIDS）患者的高发病率和死亡率相关。微小隐孢子虫主要感染胃肠道上皮细胞，导致急性水样腹泻，对此尚无有效治疗方法。在感染期间，寄生虫的所有发育过程，无论是有性还是无性，都发生在宿主的上皮细胞内。这需要两种不同的真核生物之间建立独特而复杂的关联。相反，由于微小隐孢子虫的细胞内特性，上皮细胞似乎在激活宿主免疫系统并与之沟通方面发挥关键作用。阐明感染上皮细胞内受调控的生化过程对于理解微小隐孢子虫感染的病理学、宿主清除并最终产生抗感染抵抗力的过程以及干预感染的化疗策略的开发至关重要。
