Author
DIDIER, ELIZABETH - Tulane University | |
Becnel, James | |
KENT, MICHAEL - Oregon State University | |
SANDERS, JUSTIN - Oregon State University | |
WEISS, LOUIS - Albert Einstein College Of Medicine |
Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2013 Publication Date: 1/1/2014 Citation: Didier, E.S., Becnel, J.J., Kent, M.L., Sanders, J., Weiss, L.M. 2014. Chapter 5: Microsporidia. Book Chapter. pg.115-114. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The phylum Microsporidia comprises an interesting group of intracellular fungal parasites that infect vertebrate and invertebrate hosts of commercial and medical significance. Microsporidia are unique for their mode infection whereby the cytoplasm spore content are propelled through an inverting polar filament and injected into the host cell. Believed to branch among the earliest eukaryotes, microsporidia are now considered more highly-evolved for exhibiting gene reduction and compacttion that also are signs of extreme parasite efficiency. This chapter highlights the unusual mechanism of infection and currect classification of the microsporidia as well as describes the morphology, life cycle, and culture of microsporidia species of importance to arthropod, aquic, and mamalian hosts. |