AUTHOR=Zajączkowska Żaneta , Akutko Katarzyna , Kváč Martin , Sak Bohumil , Szydłowicz Magdalena , Hendrich Andrzej B. , Iwańczak Barbara , Kicia Marta 

TITLE=Enterocytozoon Bieneusi Infects Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Undergoing Immunosuppressive Treatment

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.741751

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2021.741751

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are susceptible to intestinal opportunistic infections due to both defective mucosal immunity and altered immune response resulting from immunosuppressive treatment. Microsporidia infecting the gastrointestinal tract and causing diarrhoea can potentially affect the course of IBD.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Stool samples (90 IBD children and 121 healthy age-matched controls) were screened for <italic>Encephalitozoon</italic> spp. and <italic>Enterocytozoon bieneusi</italic> by microscopy and polymerase chain reaction followed by sequencing.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold><italic>E. bieneusi</italic> genotype D was found in seven out of 90 (7.8%) IBD children. No children from the control group were infected, making the pathogen prevalence in the IBD group significant (<italic>P</italic> = 0.002). Furthermore, infection was confirmed only in patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment (<italic>P</italic> = 0.013).</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> Children with IBD are at risk of intestinal <italic>E. bieneusi</italic> infection, especially when receiving immunosuppressive treatment. Therefore, microsporidia should be considered as a significant infectious agent in this group of patients.</p>