Genital microsporidiosis in women with AIDS: a post-mortem study.

BACKGROUND

Microsporidiosis is a life threatening opportunistic infection of AIDS patients. The infection is usually restricted to specific anatomical areas, but could become systemic depending on the involved species. Genital microsporidiosis in female patients is rare.

OBJECTIVE

To report genital microsporidiosis in female AIDS patients.

METHODS

Tissues samples from the genital tract (ovary, fallopian tubes and uterus) of eight deceased women who died of wasting syndrome associated to AIDS and disseminated microsporidiosis at the Institute of Tropical Medicine Pedro Kourí were collected between 1997 and 2005. Using an indirect immunohistochemistry assay the microsporidia species involved in those cases were identified.

RESULTS

We report several cases of microsporidial infection of the female genital tract. Six out of eight women with the disseminated form of the disease showed the presence of microsporidia in the genital tract. Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Encephalitozoon hellem were identified in the internal lining epithelium of the fallopian tubes and endometrium.

CONCLUSIONS

Microsporidia species could disseminate to other organs and become systemic in severe immunocompromised cases. To our knowledge this is the greatest number of female genital tract microsporidiosis cases so far reported in humans.