ABSTRACT
This chapter provides state-of-the-art overviews on foodborne diseases caused by Enterocytozoon in relation to their etiology, biology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The term microsporidia encompasses a wide variety of pathogens that are characterized by their intracellular location and their ability to form spores that can infect eukaryotic cells across the entire animal phyla. The most important agent causing human disease belongs to the genus Enterocytozoon, with E. bieneusi being the only representative. The worldwide prevalence of E. bieneusi is difficult to compare due to wide variations in the samples collected, patients screened, and also methods used for diagnosis. E. bieneusi is a complex species with diverse host range and pathogenicity. The strains cannot be discriminated on the basis of morphology, and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the rRNA gene is the most favored target for genotyping of E. bieneusi.
