Abstract
Microsporidia comprise a large class of unicellular eukaryotic pathogens that are medically and agriculturally important, but poorly understood. There have been nearly 1,500 microsporidian species described thus far, which are variable in biology, genetics, genomics, and host specificity. Among those, Enterocytozoon bieneusi is the well-known species responsible for the most recorded cases of human microsporidian affections. The pathogen can colonize a broad range of mammals and birds and most of the animals surveyed share some genotypes with humans, posing a threat to public health. Based on DNA sequence analysis of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and phylogenetic analysis, several hundreds of E. bieneusi genotypes have been defined and clustered into different genetic groups with varied levels of host specificity. However, single locus-based typing using ITS might have insufficient resolution to discriminate among E. bieneusi isolates with complex genetic or hereditary characteristics and to assess the elusive reproduction or transmission modes of the organism, highlighting the need for exploration and application of multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and population genetic tools. The present review begins with a primer on microsporidia and major microsporidian species, briefly introduces the recent advances on E. bieneusi ITS genotyping and phylogeny, summarizes recent MLST and population genetic data, analyzes the inter- and intragroup host specificity at the MLST level, and interprets the public health implications of host specificity in zoonotic or cross-species transmission of this ubiquitous fungus.
Highlights
Microsporidia are an exceptional group of obligate intracellular protist-like fungi with hosts ranging from protists to mammals (Stentiford et al, 2016)
The definition of E. bieneusi genotypes and assessment of their host specificity and zoonotic potential are greatly dependent on the analysis of single base-pair changes at the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) (Santin and Fayer, 2011)
The present review begins with a primer on microsporidia and major species, introduces the recent advances in the field of E. bieneusi typing and population genetics, and assesses the host specificity of E. bieneusi and the derived public health implications
Summary
Microsporidia are an exceptional group of obligate intracellular protist-like fungi with hosts ranging from protists to mammals (Stentiford et al, 2016). The typing tool has been widely used in the surveys conducted in diverse areas around the world, which enables identification of several hundreds of genotypes that show varying degrees of host specificity (Guo et al, 2014; Karim et al, 2014b; Li et al, 2015). The use of multilocus sequence typing (MLST) tool is vital for elucidation of the epidemiology, population genetic structure and substructure, host specificity, mode of reproduction, and transmission pattern of this important fungus (Li et al, 2012, 2013, Li et al, 2016b; Karim et al, 2014c; Wan et al, 2016). The present review begins with a primer on microsporidia and major species, introduces the recent advances in the field of E. bieneusi typing and population genetics, and assesses the host specificity of E. bieneusi and the derived public health implications
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