Investigation of Microsporidia species in humans by microscopic and molecular methods in Duzce and Bolu provinces

Microsporidia are obligatory intracellular parasites that do not show metabolic activation outside the host cell. It was firstly isolated from silkworm in 1857 and thought to be fungus. These pathogens that show broad host selectivity, firstly reported in humans in 1959. They have become the focus of attention with the emergence of opportunistic infections, especially in AIDS patients. Prevalence of Enterocytozoon bieneusi changes between %7-50 in different regions and countries and changes between %7-69 in our country. It is clear that studies in the world and especially in our country are limited about presence or absence of infection. It is also seen that there are few studies about active species and their taxonomic status. For this reason, the determination of frequency and taxonomic status of human pathogen microsporidia are very important for us. In this study, it was aimed to reveal the presence and prevalence of Microsporidia species by examining stool samples from Düzce University Health Practice and Research Center and BAIBU Training and Research Hospital with microscopic and molecular methods. As a result of microscopic examinations, it was seen that the positivity rate was 6.6% (14/212) for Düzce samples and 5.8% (11/188) for Bolu samples. As a result of molecular analysis, number of positive 24 (11.3%) for Düzce and 25 (13,3%) for Bolu. Only Enterocytozoon bieneusi has been identified as a species.