Presentation Type
Poster
Microsporidia in Platelets samples: Good or Bad News?
Abstract
Microsporidia is a recognized emerging opportunistic fungal pathogen that can cause serious
diseases in the immunocompromised, such as in HIV-infected AIDS patients. Complications due
to the dissemination of microsporidial infection by the Encephalitozoon species (disseminated
microsporidiosis) have been reported in immunosuppressed patients, including organ transplant
recipients and cancer patients. Due to the lack of specific symptoms and the lack of a routine clinical
test, disseminated microsporidiosis was only diagnosed in post-mortem pathological studies. With
the new methods of isolation and detection of microsporidia in biological samples that have been
developed in the Dao Laboratory (CMMB Department, USF, Tampa, FL), microsporidia can be identified
and quantified in packed red blood cell samples. Various levels of microsporidia were observed in
blood samples from normal donors, with approximately 20% of the samples showing significantly high
concentrations of microsporidian levels. Furthermore, although the blood samples were irradiated
at gy25, the spores were found to be viable in tissue culture. In consideration of these findings,
high levels of microsporidia in blood products should be of concern when the transfusion recipients
are immunosuppressed, the present study is focused on the analysis of platelets because of their
use in cancer patients. Preliminary data has shown that four of twelve platelet samples have high
concentration of microsporidia. Additional samples are being investigated in ongoing experiments
in order to identify and quantify the Encephalitozoon species by immunochemical analysis and by
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Detection of samples having a high microsporidia concentrations and
the avoidance of their use in transfusion should contribute to the prevention of microsporidia-related
complications in immunosuppressed patients.
Categories
Natural Sciences
Research Type
Research Assistant
Mentor Information
Dr. My-Lien Dao
Microsporidia in Platelets samples: Good or Bad News?
Microsporidia is a recognized emerging opportunistic fungal pathogen that can cause serious
diseases in the immunocompromised, such as in HIV-infected AIDS patients. Complications due
to the dissemination of microsporidial infection by the Encephalitozoon species (disseminated
microsporidiosis) have been reported in immunosuppressed patients, including organ transplant
recipients and cancer patients. Due to the lack of specific symptoms and the lack of a routine clinical
test, disseminated microsporidiosis was only diagnosed in post-mortem pathological studies. With
the new methods of isolation and detection of microsporidia in biological samples that have been
developed in the Dao Laboratory (CMMB Department, USF, Tampa, FL), microsporidia can be identified
and quantified in packed red blood cell samples. Various levels of microsporidia were observed in
blood samples from normal donors, with approximately 20% of the samples showing significantly high
concentrations of microsporidian levels. Furthermore, although the blood samples were irradiated
at gy25, the spores were found to be viable in tissue culture. In consideration of these findings,
high levels of microsporidia in blood products should be of concern when the transfusion recipients
are immunosuppressed, the present study is focused on the analysis of platelets because of their
use in cancer patients. Preliminary data has shown that four of twelve platelet samples have high
concentration of microsporidia. Additional samples are being investigated in ongoing experiments
in order to identify and quantify the Encephalitozoon species by immunochemical analysis and by
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Detection of samples having a high microsporidia concentrations and
the avoidance of their use in transfusion should contribute to the prevention of microsporidia-related
complications in immunosuppressed patients.
