Bacterial, Viral and Infectious Diseases

The importance of opportunistic pathogens, which are able to be agents of disease only if the natural defence mechanisms are damaged and function of immune system is decreased, is growing due to an increasing number of patients with HIV infection/ AIDS, as well as other persons with disrupted immune systems due to primary or secondary immunodeficiency. Micro-sporidia are among the opportunistic pathogens that are occurring with greater frequency or severity in patients with impaired host defenses. Therefore, the aim of our study was to map the prevalence of Encephalitozoon intestinalis and Enterocytozoon bieneusi infection in a group of patients and to compare it with the occurrence of specific antigens in immune-competent people. Detection of spores of both pathogens in fecal samples was performed by an immunofluorescence test using species-specific monoclonal antibodies. Overall, we examined 142 people, including 80 men and 62 women. We compared the relative risk of micro-sporidia between groups of immunecompromised patients and immune-competent persons. The risk of occurrence of micro-sporidia Encephalitozoon intestinalis in the group of HIV/AIDS patients was 6.6 times higher, in the group of hemodialysis patients 1.6 times and in the group of renal transplant patients 4 times higher in comparison with the immune-competent persons. The risk of occurrence of micro-sporidia Enterocytozoon bieneusi in the group of HIV/AIDS patients was 10 times higher and in the group of renal transplant patients 6.7 times higher in comparison with the immune-competent persons. In the group of hemodialysis patients, the risk of occurrence of micro-sporidia Enterocytozoon bieneusi was the same as in the group of immune-competent persons.