Common Name(s):
Microsporidia Infection
Alternative Names & Classifications:
Microsporidiosis (CLINICAL)
Description
Microsporidia spores use a unique, specialized polar tube to physically pierce and inject their infectious material directly into host cells. They rapidly multiply within the cytoplasm, destroying the host cell upon release and causing widespread tissue damage, predominantly in the gastrointestinal tract. It severely affects immunocompromised individuals, causing intractable wasting syndromes.