Immune responsiveness associated with experimental Encephalitozoon intestinalis infection in immunocompetent rats

• Published in: Indian journal of medical microbiology Vol. 25; no. 3; pp. 209 - 213
• Main Authors: Omalu, ICJ, Duhlinska, DD, Anyanwu, GI, Pam, VA, Inyama, PU
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Medknow Publications on behalf of Indian Association of Medical Microbiology 01.07.2007; Elsevier B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Fungal - blood; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes - immunology; ELISA. T-Lymphocytes; Encephalitozoon - immunology; Encephalitozoon intestinalis; Encephalitozoonosis - blood; Encephalitozoonosis - immunology; Encephalitozoonosis - microbiology; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Feces - microbiology; Female; Immunocompetence - immunology; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Intestinal Mucosa - immunology; Intestinal Mucosa - microbiology; Male; Microsporidia; Rats; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Encephalitozoon intestinalis; Microsporidia; ELISA. T-Lymphocytes
• ISSN: 0255-0857
• DOI: 10.1016/S0255-0857(21)02107-1

Purpose: Microsporidial infections have been recognized as an increasingly important infection in immuncompromised patients, particularly those infected with HIV/AIDS. This study was designed to study immune responses associated with experimental Encephalitozoon intestinalis infection in immunocompetent rats. Materials and Methods: Thirty-four Rats in 3 groups, A (Control), B (Intraperitoneal) and C (Oral) were given injections of 0.5 ml of 2 x 10 6 of purified spores of Encephalitotozoon intestinalis spores and were observed for serum specific IgG for 21 days using both direct and indirect ELISA. Results: In indirect ELISA, specific lgG were detected on days 7, 14 and 21 for the group B rats and on day 21 for group C and in direct ELISA method, specific lgG were detected in-group B rats on days 7 and 21, for group C rats on day 21 only, while in the control rats, specific lgG were not detected. There was no significant difference between the direct and indirect methods (df=1, X 2 , P>0.05). E. intestinalis was observed in stool samples of rats in 1/12 (08.33%) on days 14 and 21 in group B, and in 4/10 (33.33%), 3/10 (25.00%) and 2/10 (16.67%) on days 7, 14 and 21 respectively in group C. In group A, which is the control rats, no microsporidia were observed on days 0, 7, 14 and 21. Conclusions: There were no changes in the T-lymphocyte counts of rats prior to and after inoculation with spores. Extensive lesions were observed along the intestinal walls especially on the middle and lower sections of group C rats only.