State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Microsporidia Infection and Control, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2024 Sep-Oct;71(5):e13045. doi: 10.1111/jeu.13045. Epub 2024 Aug 2.
Microsporidia are opportunistic fungal-like pathogens that cause microsporidiosis, which results in significant economic losses and threatens public health. Infection of domesticated silkworms by the microsporidium Nosema bombycis causes pébrine disease, for which this species of microsporidia has received much attention. Research has been conducted extensively on this microsporidium over the past few decades to better understand its infection, transmission, host-parasite interaction, and detection. Several tools exist to study this species including the complete genome sequence of N. bombycis. In addition to the understanding of N. bombycis being important for the silkworm industry, this species has become a model organism for studying microsporidia. Research on biology of N. bombycis will contribute to the development of knowledge regarding microsporidia and potential antimicrosporidia drugs. Furthermore, this will provide insight into the molecular evolution and functioning of other fungal pathogens.
微孢子虫是机会性真菌样病原体，可引起微孢子虫病，导致重大经济损失并威胁公共健康。蚕微孢子虫感染家蚕引起微粒子病，这种微孢子虫受到了广泛关注。在过去几十年中，对这种微孢子虫进行了广泛的研究，以更好地了解其感染、传播、宿主-寄生虫相互作用和检测。有几种工具可用于研究该物种，包括蚕微孢子虫的完整基因组序列。除了对蚕业的重要性外，这种物种已成为研究微孢子虫的模式生物。对蚕微孢子虫生物学的研究将有助于发展关于微孢子虫和潜在抗微孢子虫药物的知识。此外，这将深入了解其他真菌病原体的分子进化和功能。
