Occurrence of microsporidia as emerging pathogens in Slovak Roma children and their impact on public health.

Introduction And Objective: Microsporidia are identified as ubiquitous organisms of almost every animal group and are now recognized as emerging opportunistic pathogens of human. The risk factors include immunodeficiency, lack of sanitation, and exposure to contaminated water and infected animals. In Slovakia, the places with an increased risk of infection due to the presence of risk factors and routes of transmission are represented by Roma settlements.

Molecular identification and genotyping of Microsporidia in selected hosts.

The work is described by microscopic analysis, the serological analysis (IFAT) and the molecular analysis of isolates from clinical samples (blood, faeces and urine) from ten domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), breed Maličký, four New Zealand domestic rabbits, 11 sows of breed Slo0076akian Improved White and 15 clinically healthy laboratory BALB/c mice. The aim of the study was to validate the suitability of species-unspecific primer pairs 530F and 580R for genotype determination of the Microsporidia strain and species-specific primer pairs ECUNF and ECUNR, SINTF and SINTR and EBIER1 and EBIEF1 for the determination of E ncephalitozoon cuniculi, Encephalitozoon intestinalis and Enterocytozoon bieneusi species for diagnostic purposes. Sequences of animals were compared with those from the GenBank database.

Application of specific primers in the diagnosis of Encephalitozoon spp.

In our experiment, 3 species-specific primer pairs cultivated in cell lines were used: Encephalitozoon cuniculi -specific primer pairs (ECUNF and ECUNR), Encephalitozoon hellem -specific primer pairs (EHELF and EHELR), and Encephalitozoon intestinalis -specific primer pairs (SINTF and SINTR). The PCR products were estimated to be 550 bp in E. cuniculi , 547 bp in E.

Serological screening of occurrence of antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi in humans and animals in Eastern Slovakia.

Encephalitozoon cuniculi is one of the mamalian microsporidian pathogens that can affect a number of different species of animals as well as humans. The presence of specific serum antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi was studied in a group of animals and humans from Eastern Slovakia by the indirect immunofluorescence of antibodies (IFA). 456 people, 571 rabbits, 457 mice, 193 dogs, 72 cats, and 59 sheep were examined.