Microsporidium in AIDS patients: a perspective.

Microsporidia are ubiquitous, obligate intracellular protozoan parasites increasingly detected as opportunistic pathogens in AIDS patients. These parasites have been associated with chronic diarrhoea, hepatitis, cholangitis, pancreatitis, enteritis, keratoconjunctivitis, and peritonitis in either homosexuals or heterosexuals. Optimum diagnostic and therapeutic measures of these pathogens still elude both clinicians and researchers. Further study is required to elucidate the exact prevalence and clinical characteristics of microsporidia.