What do microsporidia do?

Microsporidiosis can cause infection of the intestine, lung, kidney, brain, sinuses, muscles, and eyes. Although there are over 1,200 species of microsporidia, there are 15 species that have been identified as causing disease in humans.

What classification is microsporidia?

Microsporidia
Microsporidia/Scientific names

Is microsporidia unicellular or multicellular?

Microsporidia are unicellular, obligate intracellular, spore-forming eukaryotes classified among the protists.

What is the infective stage of microsporidia in the stool?

The infective form of microsporidia is the resistant spore and it can survive for an extended period of time in the environment. The spore extrudes its polar tubule and infects the host cell. The spore injects the infective sporoplasm into the eukaryotic host cell through the polar tubule.

Are microsporidia fungi or protozoa?

Microsporidia are obligate intracellular fungi, but have been historically treated as protozoa. Microsporidia are found in the environment and the entire group contains more than 1200 species from more than 100 genera. Microsporidia contain resistant spores of various sizes as well as a unique polar tubule.

What kind of host does Cryptosporidium parvum live in?

Cryptosporidium parvum is the species of this intracellular coccidian protozoan parasite that is responsible for illness in humans. Its life cycle occurs within a single host, beginning as an ingested thick-walled, round oocyst measuring 2-6 um in diameter.

How big are Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts under DIC microscopy?

Figure B: Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in wet mount, under differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy. The oocysts are rounded and measure 4.2 µm – 5.4 µm in diameter. Sporozoites are visible inside the oocysts, indicating that sporulation has occurred. Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts stained with trichrome.

Are there other Microsporidia known to infect humans?

The host range of the other microsporidia known to infect humans is not as well known. No animal reservoir has been identified for Vittaforma cornea. Pleistophora spp. are found in fish and reptiles, but spore morphology in these species is inconsistent with that of the species implicated in human infections ( P. ronneafiei ).

What kind of stain is Cryptosporidium parvum stained with?

Figure A: Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts stained with modified acid-fast. Against a blue-green background, the oocysts stand out in a bright red stain. Sporozoites are visible inside the two oocysts to the right in this image. Figure B: Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts stained with modified acid-fast.