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Ndzi ES, Asonganyi T, Nkinin MB, Xiao L, Didier ES, Bowers LC, Nkinin SW, Kaneshiro ES. Fast Technology Analysis Enables Identification of Species and Genotypes of Latent Microsporidia Infections in Healthy Native Cameroonians. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2015; 63:146-52. [PMID: 26303263 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Revised: 08/14/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Several enteric microsporidia species have been detected in humans and other vertebrates and their identifications at the genotype level are currently being elucidated. As advanced methods, reagents, and disposal kits for detecting and identifying pathogens become commercially available, it is important to test them in settings other than in laboratories with "state-of-the-art" equipment and well-trained staff members. In the present study, we sought to detect microsporidia DNA preserved and extracted from FTA (fast technology analysis) cards spotted with human fecal suspensions obtained from Cameroonian volunteers living in the capital city of Yaoundé to preclude the need for employing spore-concentrating protocols. Further, we tested whether amplicon nucleotide sequencing approaches could be used on small aliquots taken from the cards to elucidate the diversity of microsporidia species and strains infecting native residents. Of 196 samples analyzed, 12 (6.1%) were positive for microsporidia DNA; Enterocytozoon bieneusi (Type IV and KIN-1), Encephalitozoon cuniculi, and Encephalitozoon intestinalis were identified. These data demonstrate the utility of the FTA cards in identifying genotypes of microsporidia DNA in human fecal samples that may be applied to field testing for prevalence studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward S Ndzi
- Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies (IMPM), Yaoundé, Cameroon.,University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Tazoacha Asonganyi
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé-1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Mary Bello Nkinin
- Neurology & Physical Medicine Services, Electroencephalograph Laboratory, Central Hospital Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Lihua Xiao
- Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases, National Center of Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Lisa C Bowers
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana, USA
| | - Stephenson W Nkinin
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Edna S Kaneshiro
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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Ascunce MS, Valles SM, Oi DH, Shoemaker D, Plowes R, Gilbert L, LeBrun EG, Sánchez-Arroyo H, Sanchez-Peña S. Molecular diversity of the microsporidium Kneallhazia solenopsae reveals an expanded host range among fire ants in North America. J Invertebr Pathol 2010; 105:279-88. [PMID: 20691187 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2010.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2010] [Revised: 07/20/2010] [Accepted: 07/26/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Kneallhazia solenopsae is a pathogenic microsporidium that infects the fire ants Solenopsis invicta and Solenopsis richteri in South America and the USA. In this study, we analyzed the prevalence and molecular diversity of K. solenopsae in fire ants from North and South America. We report the first empirical evidence of K. solenopsae infections in the tropical fire ant, Solenopsis geminata, and S. geminata×Solenopsis xyloni hybrids, revealing an expanded host range for this microsporidium. We also analyzed the molecular diversity at the 16S ribosomal RNA gene in K. solenopsae from the ant hosts S.invicta, S. richteri, S. geminata and S. geminata×S. xyloni hybrids from North America, Argentina and Brazil. We found 22 16S haplotypes. One of these haplotypes (WD_1) appears to be widely distributed, and is found in S. invicta from the USA and S. geminata from southern Mexico. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S sequences revealed that K. solenopsae haplotypes fall into one of two major clades that are differentiated by 2-3%. In some cases, multiple K. solenopsae haplotypes per colony were found, suggesting either an incomplete homogenization among gene copies within the 16S gene cluster or multiple K. solenopsae variants simultaneously infecting host colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina S Ascunce
- Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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Biology and life-cycle of the microsporidium Kneallhazia solenopsae Knell Allan Hazard 1977 gen. n., comb. n., from the fire ant Solenopsis invicta. Parasitology 2008; 135:903-29. [DOI: 10.1017/s003118200800440x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARYThelohania solenopsae is a unique microsporidium with a life-cycle finely tuned to parasitizing fire ant colonies. Unlike other microsporidia of social hymenopterans, T. solenopsae infects all castes and stages of the host. Four distinctive spore types are produced: diplokaryotic spores, which develop only in brood (Type 1 DK spores); octets of octospores within sporophorous vesicles, the most prominent spore type in adults but never occurring in brood; Nosema-like diplokaryotic spores (Type 2 DK spores) developing in adults; and megaspores, which occur occasionally in larvae 4, pupae, and adults of all castes but predominantly infect gonads of alates and germinate in inseminated ovaries of queens. Type 2 DK spores function in autoinfection of adipocytes. Proliferation of diplokaryotic meronts in some cells is followed by karyogamy of diplokarya counterparts and meiosis, thereby switching the diplokaryotic sequence to octospore or megaspore development. Megaspores transmit the pathogen transovarially. From the egg to larvae 4, infection is inapparent and can be detected only by PCR. Type 1 DK spore and megaspore sequences are abruptly triggered in larvae 4, the key stage in intra-colony food distribution via trophallaxis, and presumably the central player in horizontal transmission of spores. Molecular, morphological, ultrastructural and life-cycle data indicate that T. solenopsae must be assigned to a new genus. We propose a new combination, Kneallhazia solenopsae.
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Milks ML, Fuxa JR, Richter AR. Prevalence and impact of the microsporidium Thelohania solenopsae (Microsporidia) on wild populations of red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, in Louisiana. J Invertebr Pathol 2008; 97:91-102. [PMID: 17892883 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2007.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2006] [Revised: 08/08/2007] [Accepted: 08/09/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
We surveyed 165 sites to determine the ecological factors that might influence the distribution and prevalence of Thelohania solenopsae, and its effect on the demography of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) in Louisiana. The microsporidium was found in 9.9% of colonies and at 16% of sites. Its distribution was clumped within the state with the majority of infected colonies and sites occurring in two infection patches. The proportion of polygyne colonies was a strong (positive) predictor of the proportion of infected colonies at a site. Infected monogyne colonies, however, still accounted for nearly 20% of infected colonies, a much higher proportion than anticipated. Several other factors, including the numbers of colonies at a site, precipitation, proximity to commercial waterways and ports, and type of habitat were also retained in the multiple logistic regression model describing T. solenopsae prevalence. The microsporidium appears to adversely affect the occurrence of brood, and possibly the size of S. invicta colonies and the mass of workers. It, however, was not included in the multiple regression model of the number of colonies or the density of ants at a site. Although our findings do not imply causation, they have identified several variables that might influence the epizootiology of T. solenopsae. Future work should concentrate on experimentally manipulating these variables to confirm these relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maynard L Milks
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
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Jefferies R, Ryan UM, Irwin PJ. PCR-RFLP for the detection and differentiation of the canine piroplasm species and its use with filter paper-based technologies. Vet Parasitol 2006; 144:20-7. [PMID: 17127005 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2006.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2006] [Revised: 09/12/2006] [Accepted: 09/13/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Canine piroplasmosis is an emerging disease worldwide, with multiple species of piroplasm now recognised to infect dogs. A nested polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay was developed for the detection and differentiation of each of the piroplasm species currently known to infect dogs on the basis of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene. The assay can potentially amplify and discriminate between Theileria annae, Theileria equi, Babesia conradae, Babesia gibsoni, Babesia sp. (Coco) and each of the Babesia canis subspecies. Non-canine piroplasm species can also potentially be detected using the described assay, however amplification of Neospora caninum was also observed. The PCR was found to have a high detection limit, capable of detecting a 2.7x10(-7)% parasitaemia or the equivalent of 1.2 molecules of target DNA when using DNA extracted from whole EDTA blood and detected a parasitaemia of 2.7x10(-5)% using blood applied to both Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards and IsoCodetrade mark Stix. The application of blood samples to filter paper may greatly assist in piroplasm identification in regions of the world where local technologies for molecular characterisation are limited. The assay reported here has the potential to be standardised for routine screening of dogs for piroplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Jefferies
- Australasian Centre for Companion Animal Research, Division of Health Sciences, Murdoch University, WA 6150, Australia
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Sokolova YY, Kryukova NA, Glupov VV, Fuxa JR. Systenostrema alba Larsson 1988 (Microsporidia, Thelohaniidae) in the Dragonfly Aeshna viridis (Odonata, Aeshnidae) from South Siberia: morphology and molecular characterization. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2006; 53:49-57. [PMID: 16441586 DOI: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2005.00075.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
An octospore microsporidium was found in the nymphs of Aeshna viridis, collected in intermittent streams near Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia in 2003. Spores were uninucleate and measured 6.1+/-0.07 x 3.0+/-0.04 microm on fresh smears. The polar filament was anisofilar having 10-11 anterior coils (thicker filament diam.) and 10-11 posterior (thinner filament diam.) coils. Sporophorous vesicles were persistent and measured 12.3+/-0.23 x 11.9+/-0.20 microm. The infection was restricted to the adipose tissue and caused the formation of whitish "cysts" containing mature octospores. Based on ultrastructural similarity we consider this Siberian isolate to be Systenostrema alba, a species described from Aeshna grandis collected in Sweden (Larsson 1988). Maximum likelihood, neighbor joining, and maximum parsimony analyses of the small subunit rDNA all placed Systenostrema alba (Accession no. AY953292) as the sister taxon to a clade consisting of Thelohania solenopsae, Tubulinosema ratisbonensis, and Tubulinosema acridophagus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya Y Sokolova
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia.
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Joseph J, Murthy S, Garg P, Sharma S. Use of different stains for microscopic evaluation of corneal scrapings for diagnosis of microsporidial keratitis. J Clin Microbiol 2006; 44:583-5. [PMID: 16455916 PMCID: PMC1392708 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.44.2.583-585.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Retrospective evaluation of potassium hydroxide plus calcofluor white (KOH+CFW), Gram, Giemsa, and modified Ziehl-Neelsen (1% H(2)SO(4), cold) stains for the detection of microsporidia in corneal scrapings from 30 patients showed KOH+CFW and acid-fast stains to be most efficient (29/30 [96.7%] and 28/30 [93.3%], respectively) in the diagnosis of microsporidial keratitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joveeta Joseph
- Jhaveri Microbiology Centre, L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, L.V. Prasad Marg, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad 500034, India.
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Sokolova YY, Lange CE, Fuxa JR. Development, ultrastructure, natural occurrence, and molecular characterization of Liebermannia patagonica n. g., n. sp., a microsporidian parasite of the grasshopper Tristira magellanica (Orthoptera: Tristiridae). J Invertebr Pathol 2006; 91:168-82. [PMID: 16524588 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2006.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2005] [Revised: 01/18/2006] [Accepted: 01/25/2006] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
A new microsporidium, Liebermannia patagonica n. gen., n. sp., is described from midgut and gastric caecum epithelial cells of Tristira magellanica, an apterous grasshopper species of southern Patagonia, Argentina. L.patagonica is diplokaryotic, apansporoblastic, homosporous, and polysporoblastic. Transitional (from merogony to sporogony) stages and sporonts of L. patagonica were surrounded by host rough endoplasmic reticulum. The ovocylindrical spores measured 2.9 +/- 0.09 x 1.2 +/- 0.04 microm (fresh, n = 50), and they had an isofilar polar filament of only three coils and a cluster of tubules instead of a classical posterior vacuole. Prevalence was high (up to 80.6%) at the type locality for the four years sampled . Maximum likelihood , neighbor joining, maximum parismony analyses of the small submit rDNA all placed L.patagonica(Accession No. DQ 239917) in one with Orthosomella operophterae.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- DNA, Ribosomal
- Grasshoppers/parasitology
- Host-Parasite Interactions
- Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
- Microsporidia, Unclassified/classification
- Microsporidia, Unclassified/genetics
- Microsporidia, Unclassified/growth & development
- Microsporidia, Unclassified/isolation & purification
- Microsporidia, Unclassified/physiology
- Microsporidia, Unclassified/ultrastructure
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Phylogeny
- Spores, Protozoan/genetics
- Spores, Protozoan/physiology
- Spores, Protozoan/ultrastructure
- Tropism
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya Y Sokolova
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Ave., 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia.
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Sokolova YY, Fuxa JR, Borkhsenious ON. The nature of Thelohania solenopsae (Microsporidia) cysts in abdomens of red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta. J Invertebr Pathol 2006; 90:24-31. [PMID: 15894329 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2005.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2005] [Revised: 03/18/2005] [Accepted: 03/30/2005] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sixty four percent of Solenopsis invicta workers infected with Thelohania solenopsis contained 1-6 "cysts" ranging from 70 to 260 microm in diameter. Light and electron microscope analyses showed that cysts are hypertrophied adipocytes transformed by the parasites, each cyst presumably forming from a single cell. In the first step of the pathogenesis, Nosema-like spores functioning in autoinfection are produced; a diplokaryotic sequence leading to their formation causes fat body hypertrophy. When meiosis occurs, it switches parasite development to production of octospores and/or megaspores. Adipocytes become 2-4xlarger than normal in conjunction with intensive parasite multiplication and octospore maturation. Infected cells eventually lose their cellular organization and are converted into reservoirs for spores. There were no manifestations of cellular immunity, such as encapsulation or nodule formation. Similarly, there were no signs of specialized host-parasite interaction that might be interpreted as xenoma-like complexes. The role of the cysts in the parasite's life cycle is unclear. They may represent a defensive reaction of the host sacrificing the infected cells to segregate the infection. Alternatively, the cyst may help protect spores from environmental hazards and provide a concentrated infectious dose to aid horizontal transmission of the microsporidium. We propose to refer to hypertrophied adipocytes filled with T. solenospsae spores as "sporocytosacs", not "cysts."
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Y Sokolova
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
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Fuxa JR, Milks ML, Sokolova YY, Richter AR. Interaction of an entomopathogen with an insect social form: an epizootic of Thelohania solenopsae (Microsporidia) in a population of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta. J Invertebr Pathol 2005; 88:79-82. [PMID: 15707872 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2004.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2004] [Revised: 10/07/2004] [Accepted: 10/08/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
This is the first report of Thelohania solenopsae infections in monogyne (single-queen) Solenopsis invicta colonies in the field. In a 0.2-ha plot near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, inter-colony prevalence was 63% infection in June, 1999, when the population was 100% monogyne. In February, 2000, 21% of 33 monogyne and 90% of 10 polygyne colonies were infected. By May, 2001, the polygyne colonies had disappeared and only one of 34 monogyne colonies was infected, the final detection of T. solenopsae in the plot. Colony size did not differ significantly among the four types (monogyne versus polygynexinfected versus uninfected).
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Fuxa
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana State University AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA 70810, USA.
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Sokolova YY, McNally LR, Fuxa JR, Vinson SB. Spore morphotypes of Thelohania solenopsae (microsporidia) described microscopically and confirmed by PCR of individual spores microdissected from smears by position ablative laser microbeam microscopy. Microbiology (Reading) 2004; 150:1261-1270. [PMID: 15133089 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.26838-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of Thelohania solenopsae, a parasite of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), until recently was thought to include formation of two types of spores: unicellular meiospores, maturing inside sporophorous vesicles in sets of eight (octospores); and Nosema-like binuclear free spores. Megaspores, discovered in 2001, develop primarily in alates and are morphologically distinct from the two previously known types of spores. The role of megaspores in the T. solenopsae life cycle, as well as their existence, has been questioned. The current research includes light and electron microscopic descriptions of the three major spore morphotypes characteristic of T. solenopsae development. In addition, individual octospores and megaspores were isolated into groups of 8–20 from methanol-fixed and Calcofluor-stained smears of the infected ants for subsequent PCR analysis by the laser pressure catapulting function of a position ablative laser microbeam microscope, a technique applied for the first time to research of microsporidia. The PCR-amplified SSU rDNA nucleotide sequences from octospores and megaspores were identical. This, along with the consistency with which megaspores are detected in infected ants, demonstrates that megaspores are integral to the life cycle of T. solenopsae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya Y Sokolova
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 194064, St Petersburg, Russia
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana Agricultural Experimental Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - Lacey R McNally
- Department of Pathobiological Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70805, USA
| | - James R Fuxa
- Department of Entomology, Louisiana Agricultural Experimental Station, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
| | - S Bradleigh Vinson
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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