TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence of microsporidiosis due to Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon (Septata) intestinalis among patients with AIDS-related diarrhea
T2 - Determination by polymerase chain reaction to the microsporidian small-subunit rRNA gene
AU - Coyle, Christina M.
AU - Wittner, Murray
AU - Kotler, Donald P.
AU - Noyer, Charles
AU - Orenstein, Jan M.
AU - Tanowitz, Herbert B.
AU - Weiss, Louis M.
N1 - Funding Information:
Received 15 February 1996; revised 29 May 1996. Informed consent was obtained from the patients, and all samples were obtained as part of protocols and studies approved by the institutional review boards of the participating centers. Grant support: National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (AI31788). Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Louis M. Weiss, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Room 504, Bronx, New York 10461.
PY - 1996
Y1 - 1996
N2 - Microsporidia are emerging as opportunistic pathogens in patients with AIDS. Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon (Septata) intestinalis have been implicated in enteric infections in AIDS patients with chronic diarrhea, a wasting syndrome, and malabsorption. We used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and primers that amplify the conserved regions of the small-subunit rRNA (SSU-rRNA) gene of E. bieneusi and E. intestinalis in tissue specimens from HIV-infected patients with and without diarrhea to examine the association between microsporidia and diarrhea in patients with AIDS. Tissue specimens were obtained from 68 patients with AIDS and diarrhea (mean CD4 lymphocyte count, 21/mm3) and 43 AIDS patients without diarrhea (mean CD4 lymphocyte count, 60/mm3). By means of PCR with use of the SSU-rRNA primers specific for E. bieneusi and E. intestinalis, we found that 44% of patients with diarrhea were infected with microsporidia, whereas only 2.3% of the patients without diarrhea were infected with microsporidia (P < .001). There was a clear association between the presence of microsporidia and diarrhea. In addition, the SSU-rRNA primers proved to be sensitive and specific when used in this clinical setting.
AB - Microsporidia are emerging as opportunistic pathogens in patients with AIDS. Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon (Septata) intestinalis have been implicated in enteric infections in AIDS patients with chronic diarrhea, a wasting syndrome, and malabsorption. We used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and primers that amplify the conserved regions of the small-subunit rRNA (SSU-rRNA) gene of E. bieneusi and E. intestinalis in tissue specimens from HIV-infected patients with and without diarrhea to examine the association between microsporidia and diarrhea in patients with AIDS. Tissue specimens were obtained from 68 patients with AIDS and diarrhea (mean CD4 lymphocyte count, 21/mm3) and 43 AIDS patients without diarrhea (mean CD4 lymphocyte count, 60/mm3). By means of PCR with use of the SSU-rRNA primers specific for E. bieneusi and E. intestinalis, we found that 44% of patients with diarrhea were infected with microsporidia, whereas only 2.3% of the patients without diarrhea were infected with microsporidia (P < .001). There was a clear association between the presence of microsporidia and diarrhea. In addition, the SSU-rRNA primers proved to be sensitive and specific when used in this clinical setting.
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U2 - 10.1093/clinids/23.5.1002
DO - 10.1093/clinids/23.5.1002
M3 - Article
C2 - 8922793
AN - SCOPUS:0029861525
SN - 1058-4838
VL - 23
SP - 1002
EP - 1006
JO - Clinical Infectious Diseases
JF - Clinical Infectious Diseases
IS - 5
ER -
