Microsporidia

Microsporidia are spore-forming, obligate intracellular parasites classified among fungi. They infect animals, including humans, and cause disease by invading host cells.

Polar tube: A rapidly everted, hollow filament that microsporidian spores use to deliver infectious material into a host cell. This specialized structure pierces host cells during microsporidian infection.
Fungi: A kingdom of eukaryotic organisms that includes yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. Microsporidia are classified within this broader evolutionary group.
Microsporidiosis: An infectious disease caused by microsporidia in humans or other animals. This is the disease category produced by microsporidian infection.
Édouard-Gérard Balbiani: A French biologist who studied intracellular parasites and described the microsporidian Nosema bombycis. His nineteenth-century work helped establish microsporidia as recognizable organisms.
Honey bee: A social bee species widely managed for pollination and honey production. Microsporidia such as Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae infect honey bees.
Microsporidian spore: The environmentally resistant infectious stage of a microsporidian, containing a coiled polar tube. The spore packages the polar tube that initiates infection.
Eukaryote: An organism whose cells contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound compartments. Microsporidia are eukaryotes, despite having highly reduced cellular features.
Encephalitozoon intestinalis: A microsporidian species that infects humans and can cause intestinal disease. This species is a documented cause of human microsporidiosis.
Nosema bombycis: A microsporidian parasite of silkworms that causes pébrine disease. Its impact on silkworm cultivation drove early study of microsporidia.
Nosema ceranae: A microsporidian parasite of honey bees that can infect the western honey bee. Its spread has raised concerns about impacts on managed bee colonies.

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