Centers for Disease Control/Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria
EOL staff
General microsporidian life cycle The infective form of microsporidia is the resistant spore, which can survive for long periods in the environment (1). The spore extrudes its polar tubule and infects the host cell (2). The spore injects the infective sporoplasm into the eukaryotic host cell through the polar tubule (3). Inside the cell, the sporoplasm undergoes extensive multiplication either by merogony (binary fission) or schizogony (multiple fission) (4). This development can occur either in direct contact with the host cell cytoplasm (e.g., Enterocytozoon bieneusi) or inside a vacuole known as a parasitophorous vacuole (e.g., Encephalitozoon intestinalis). Either free in the cytoplasm or inside a parasitophorous vacuole, microsporidia develop by sporogony to mature spores (5). During sporogony, a thick wall is formed around the spore, which provides resistance to adverse environmental conditions. When the spores increase in number and completely fill the host cell cytoplasm, the cell membrane is disrupted and releases the spores to the surroundings (6). These free mature spores can infect new cells, continuing the cycle.From Centers for Disease Control Parasites and Health website.
Description: English: Life cycle of Encephalitozoon spp. and Enterocytozoon spp., the causative agents of Microsporidiosis. Date: 29 November 2013. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/microsporidiosis/. Author: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Description: English: Scanning electron micrograph of a microsporidian spore with an extruded polar tubule inserted into a eukaryotic cell. The spore injects the infective sporoplasms through its polar tubule. Date: 29 November 2013. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/microsporidiosis/gallery.html#electron. Author: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Description: English: Microsporidian spore. Date: 4 January 2013, 12:41:51. Source: Исси И. В. Микроспоридии как тип паразитических простейших // Микроспоридии / АН СССР; Всесоюз. о-во протозоологов. – Л.: Наука, Ленингр. отд-ние, 1986. – (Протозоология ; вып. 10). – С. 6-136: ил. Author: Исси И. В.
Description: English: Transmission electron micrograph of E. intestinalis depicting developing forms inside a parasitophorous vacuole (red arrows) with mature spores (black arrows). Date: 30 November 2011, 14:05:28. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/microsporidiosis/gallery.html#electron. Author: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Description: This file has no description, and may be lacking other information. Please provide a meaningful description of this file. Date: 19 January 2006 (original upload date). Source: No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims). Author: No machine-readable author provided. MGrieb~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims).
Description: Deutsch: Encephalitozoonose mit Schiefhals. Français : Lapin atteint d'encéphalitozoonose, infection parasitaire causée par un protozoaire, Encephalitozoon cuniculi. Source: Own work. Author: MGrieb, reworked by Saibo.
Description: This file has no description, and may be lacking other information. Please provide a meaningful description of this file. Date: 19 January 2006 (original upload date). Source: No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims). Author: No machine-readable author provided. MGrieb~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims).
