Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia intestinalis and microsporidia are unicellular opportunistic pathogens that can cause gastrointestinal infections in both animals and humans. Since companion animals may serve as a source of infection, the aim of the present screening study was to analyse the prevalence of these intestinal protists in fecal samples collected from dogs living in 10 animal shelters in central Europe (101 dogs from Poland and 86 from the Czech Republic), combined with molecular subtyping of the detected organisms in order to assess their genetic diversity. Genus-specific polymerase chain reactions were performed to detect DNA of the tested species and to conduct molecular subtyping in collected samples, followed by statistical evaluation of the data obtained (using χ2 or Fisher's tests). The observed prevalence was 15.5, 10.2, 1 and 1% for G. intestinalis, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Cryptosporidium spp. and Encephalitozoon cuniculi, respectively. Molecular evaluation has revealed the predominance of dog-specific genotypes (Cryptosporidium canis XXe1 subtype; G. intestinalis assemblages C and D; E. cuniculi genotype II; E. bieneusi genotypes D and PtEbIX), suggesting that shelter dogs do not pose a high risk of human transmission. Interestingly, the percentage distribution of the detected pathogens differed between both countries and individual shelters, suggesting that the risk of infection may be associated with conditions typical of a given location.

• Klíčová slova
• 60-kDa glycoprotein, PCR, glutamate dehydrogenase, internal transcribed spacer region of rRNA, intestinal protists, opportunistic pathogens, small ribosomal subunit rRNA, subtyping, triosephosphate isomerase, β-giardin,
• MeSH
• Cryptosporidium * genetika   izolace a purifikace   klasifikace   MeSH
• Enterocytozoon * genetika   izolace a purifikace   klasifikace   MeSH
• feces * parazitologie   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• genotyp MeSH
• Giardia lamblia genetika   izolace a purifikace   klasifikace   MeSH
• Giardia genetika   izolace a purifikace   klasifikace   MeSH
• giardiáza * veterinární   epidemiologie   parazitologie   MeSH
• hostitelská specificita MeSH
• kryptosporidióza * epidemiologie   parazitologie   MeSH
• mikrosporidióza * veterinární   epidemiologie   MeSH
• nemoci psů * parazitologie   epidemiologie   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• prevalence MeSH
• psi MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• psi MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH
• Polsko epidemiologie   MeSH

Objectives: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are susceptible to intestinal opportunistic infections due to both defective mucosal immunity and altered immune response resulting from immunosuppressive treatment. Microsporidia infecting the gastrointestinal tract and causing diarrhoea can potentially affect the course of IBD. Methods: Stool samples (90 IBD children and 121 healthy age-matched controls) were screened for Encephalitozoon spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi by microscopy and polymerase chain reaction followed by sequencing. Results: E. bieneusi genotype D was found in seven out of 90 (7.8%) IBD children. No children from the control group were infected, making the pathogen prevalence in the IBD group significant (P = 0.002). Furthermore, infection was confirmed only in patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment (P = 0.013). Conclusions: Children with IBD are at risk of intestinal E. bieneusi infection, especially when receiving immunosuppressive treatment. Therefore, microsporidia should be considered as a significant infectious agent in this group of patients.

• Klíčová slova
• Enterocytozoon bieneusi, children, immunosuppressive treatment, inflammatory bowel disease, molecular characterization,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Of four genotypes of Encephalitozoon cuniculi, E. cuniculi genotype II is considered to represent a parasite that occurs in many host species in a latent asymptomatic form, whereas E. cuniculi genotype III seems to be more aggressive, and infections caused by this strain can lead to the death of even immunocompetent hosts. Although albendazole has been considered suitable for treatment of Encephalitozoon species, its failure in control of E. cuniculi genotype III infection has been reported. This study determined the effect of a 100× recommended daily dose of albendazole on an Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype III course of infection in immunocompetent and immunodeficient mice and compared the results with those from experiments performed with a lower dose of albendazole and E. cuniculi genotype II. The administration of the regular dose of abendazole during the acute phase of infection reduced the number of affected organs in all strains of mice and absolute counts of spores in screened organs. However, the effect on genotype III was minor. Surprisingly, no substantial effect was recorded after the use of a 100× dose of albendazole, with larger reductions seen only in the number of affected organs and absolute counts of spores in all strains of mice, implying variations in albendazole resistance between these Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotypes. These results imply that differences in the course of infection and the response to treatment depend not only on the immunological status of the host but also on the genotype causing the infection. Understanding how microsporidia survive in hosts despite targeted antimicrosporidial treatment could significantly contribute to research related to human health.

• Klíčová slova
• Encephalitozoon cuniculi, albendazole, genotype III, microsporidiosis, tolerance, treatment,
• MeSH
• albendazol aplikace a dávkování   farmakologie   MeSH
• antifungální látky aplikace a dávkování   farmakologie   MeSH
• antigeny CD4 genetika   MeSH
• antigeny CD8 genetika   MeSH
• buněčné linie MeSH
• Cercopithecus aethiops MeSH
• Encephalitozoon cuniculi účinky léků   genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• encephalitozoonóza farmakoterapie   MeSH
• genotyp MeSH
• imunokompromitovaný pacient imunologie   MeSH
• mikrobiální testy citlivosti MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• myši inbrední BALB C MeSH
• myši inbrední C57BL MeSH
• myši knockoutované MeSH
• myši SCID MeSH
• myši MeSH
• počet mikrobiálních kolonií MeSH
• Vero buňky MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• albendazol MeSH
• antifungální látky MeSH
• antigeny CD4 MeSH
• antigeny CD8 MeSH