Zoonotic microsporidia from animals and arthropods with a discussion of human infections

Abstract

Members of the phylum Microspora are intracellular spore-forming eukaryotic organisms that have recently been recognized as opportunistic pathogens, especially in immunocompromised humans. Several new species have been described in human and animal hosts, but the biology and transmission of these organisms are not well known. Morphologic and molecular methods have been developed to clarify the species identity of these parasites and to understand the epidemiologic patterns of infection. The zoonotic potential of various microsporidia species and the role of animals as reservoirs for potential human exposure are topics of current research