Humoral immune response and spreading of Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in experimentally infected ponies.
Abstract: A total of 9 (8 stallions and 1 mare) 1 year old ponies were used for the experimental infection caused by Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype II (10(7) spores per animal). Subsequently, individual horses were slaughtered 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, and 63 days post infection. Immediately after slaughter, tissues samples of stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum, colon, spleen, liver, kidney, bladder, heart, lungs, and brain were sampled. In addition, urine, feces and blood specimens were collected. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used for determination of humoral immune response and nested PCR targeting 16S rDNA, whole ITS, and 5.8S rDNA was used for detection of E. cuniculi in collected organs, blood, feces and urine. No clinical signs of microsporidiosis including diarrhea or colic, neurological signs and fever were observed in any horses during whole experiment. Acute microsporidiosis in ponies was characterized by the dissemination of microsporidia into almost all organs and significant increase of concentration of specific antibodies in blood was observed from 28 to 42 DPI. After this acute stage microsporidia disappeared from most organs with the exception of the kidney, which was positive up to 63 DPI when the experiment was terminated. No pathological changes were observed in any organs with exception of one mare's brain, where E. cuniculi-positive cavity measuring 5 cm × 3 cm in diameter formed in the lobus piriformis.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2013-05-17 PubMed ID: 23747106DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.05.007Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Antibodies
- Clinical Pathology
- Diagnosis
- Disease
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Etiology
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Experimental Methods
- Horses
- Immune Response
- Immunology
- In Vivo
- Infection
- Microbiology
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Pony
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This research studied the spread and immune response of an infection caused by the parasite Encephalitozoon cuniculi in horses, using advanced testing methods. The researchers observed how it dispersed in different organs post-infection and the fluctuation of antibodies in the blood.
Experimental infection in horses
- The experiment was conducted on nine 1-year-old horses: eight stallions and one mare.
- They were infected with the Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype II – a specific strain of the parasite. Each animal was given one million spores.
- The horses were then slaughtered at regular intervals spanning from 7 to 63 days after infection.
- The researchers collected tissue samples from thirteen different organs for analysis, as well as blood, urine, and feces samples.
Detection and analysis of infection
- The researchers used an Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a commonly used test in biochemistry, to determine the humoral immune response, that is, the production of antibodies against the parasite.
- Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction, targeting specific regions of microbial DNA, was used to detect the presence of E. cuniculi in the collected samples.
- Importantly, none of the horses displayed clinical signs of microsporidiosis, a disease caused by microsporidia including E. cuniculi, despite carrying the infection.
Results and Observations
- The initial stages of the infection, referred to as acute microsporidiosis, were characterized by the spread of microsporidia to almost all sampled organs.
- The concentration of specific antibodies in blood increased significantly between 28 to 42 days post-infection.
- Following the acute stage, the microsporidia disappeared from most organs apart from the kidney, where it remained detectable up until 63 days post-infection.
- No pathological changes were noted in most organs. However, in one mare’s brain, a cavity was formed that was positive for E. cuniculi.
Cite This Article
APA
Wagnerová P, Sak B, Květoňová D, Maršálek M, Langrová I, Kváč M.
(2013).
Humoral immune response and spreading of Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in experimentally infected ponies.
Vet Parasitol, 197(1-2), 1-6.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.05.007 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Faculty of Agriculture, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Studentská 13, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Encephalitozoon cuniculi / immunology
- Encephalitozoonosis / immunology
- Encephalitozoonosis / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Immunity, Humoral / physiology
- Male
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Ulusan Bagci O, Muftuoglu C, Guldaval F, Serce Unat D, Mert U, Polat G, Toz SO, Moon MH, Caner A. Molecular Prevalence of Microsporidia Infection in Patients with Lung Cancer. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2023 May 3;108(5):895-900.
- Magalhães TR, Pinto FF, Queiroga FL. A multidisciplinary review about Encephalitozoon cuniculi in a One Health perspective. Parasitol Res 2022 Sep;121(9):2463-2479.
- Sak B, Kváč M. Chronic Infections in Mammals Due to Microsporidia. Exp Suppl 2022;114:319-371.
- Santaniello A, Cimmino I, Dipineto L, Agognon AL, Beguinot F, Formisano P, Fioretti A, Menna LF, Oriente F. Zoonotic Risk of Encephalitozoon cuniculi in Animal-Assisted Interventions: Laboratory Strategies for the Diagnosis of Infections in Humans and Animals. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 Sep 3;18(17).
- Robertson LJ, Clark CG, Debenham JJ, Dubey JP, Kváč M, Li J, Ponce-Gordo F, Ryan U, Schares G, Su C, Tsaousis AD. Are molecular tools clarifying or confusing our understanding of the public health threat from zoonotic enteric protozoa in wildlife?. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2019 Aug;9:323-341.
- Seguel M, Howerth EW, Ritter J, Paredes E, Colegrove K, Gottdenker N. Encephalitozoonosis in 2 South American Fur Seal (Arctocephalus australis) Pups. Vet Pathol 2015 Jul;52(4):720-3.
- Kicia M, Wesolowska M, Jakuszko K, Kopacz Z, Sak B, Květonova D, Krajewska M, Kváč M. Concurrent infection of the urinary tract with Encephalitozoon cuniculi and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in a renal transplant recipient. J Clin Microbiol 2014 May;52(5):1780-2.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
