Primers designed for amplification of Echinococcus multilocularis DNA amplify the DNA of Encephalitozoon-like spores in the polymerase chain reaction.

Microsporidian spores were developed from cells which were grown in vitro from a human liver lesion which was due to larval Echinococcus multilocularis. The microsporidian spores developed in the same fashion as an Encephalitozoon cuniculi. The Encephalitozoon-like spores were completely separated on Percoll gradients. The separated spores contained DNA capable of amplification by two different primer sets designed for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of E. multilocularis DNA. However, the cell DNA from which microsporidium developed was thoroughly insensitive to the PCR using the E. multilocularis primer sets. The results strongly suggested that Encephalitozoon should be taken into consideration, when DNA isolated from larval E. multilocularis is analyzed.