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Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, February 2007, p. 168-172, Vol. 14, No. 2
1071-412X/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.00224-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Detecting Immunoglobulin M Antibodies against Microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi Polar Tubes in Sera from Healthy and Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Persons in Japan{triangledown}

Mako Omura,1 Koji Furuya,1* Shinichi Kudo,2 Wataru Sugiura,3 and Hiroshi Azuma4

Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan,1 Hokkaido Institute of Public Health, Sapporo, Japan,2 AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan,3 Hokkaido Red Cross Blood Center, Sapporo, Japan4

Received 18 June 2006/ Returned for modification 1 September 2006/ Accepted 6 November 2006

Encephalitozoon cuniculi, a spore-forming obligate intracellular parasitic pathogen belonging to the phylum Microsporidia, has a unique and highly specialized organelle called the polar tube. Using an enzyme immunostaining assay in which germinated E. cuniculi spores were coated onto plastic surfaces, we tested healthy and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals in Japan for anti-polar tube antibodies of each immunoglobulin (Ig) class. Anti-polar tube IgG was detected in just 4 of 380 healthy individuals; no anti-polar tube IgA was detected in any individuals; however, unexpectedly, anti-polar tube IgM antibodies were detected in 138 individuals (36%). When the healthy individuals were grouped by age, the highest rate of positivity to anti-polar tube IgM antibodies was seen in individuals aged 20 years old or younger. Fifty-nine percent (24/41) of the individuals aged 20 years or younger were anti-polar tube IgM antibody positive. This rate tended to decrease among individuals in older age groups. However, no anti-polar tube IgM antibodies were detected in 21 HIV-infected persons who were younger than 30 years of age and who had CD4 cell levels below 250/µl. These seroepidemiological results clearly indicate that circulating anti-polar tube IgM antibodies that are capable of strongly reacting with filaments extruded from geminated spores exist and suggest that such antibodies may play a part in protective immunity.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan. Phone: 81(3)5285-1111. Fax: 81(3)5285-1173. E-mail: kfuruya{at}nih.go.jp.

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 15 November 2006.

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, February 2007, p. 168-172, Vol. 14, No. 2
1071-412X/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.00224-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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