Review Article

Molecular Diagnostic Tests for Microsporidia

Table 1

Diagnostic Primers for the Microsporidia.

Species amplifiedSequence ( to )Primer /probe*nameAnnealing  temp. in  PCR/melting temp.# (°C)Amplicon  size,   base  pairsReference(s); notes

Primers used in PCR

Anncaliia (Brachiola) algerae ACTCCGGTAACGTGTGATGTGNALGf255180[37]
TACAAAGCATGATCCCAGTCTNALGR1

Anncaliia (Brachiola) algerae GCCGTTTCCGAAGTTGGNAGf50192[38]
ATATCGACGGGACTCTCACCNAG178r

Encephalitozoonidae and Ent. bieneusi CACCAGGTTGATTCTGCCTGACPMP1 (V1)60Eb 250[17]
CCTCTCCGGAACCAAACCTGPMP2Ec 268
Ei 270
Eh 279**

Encephalitozoonidae and Ent. bieneusi TGAATG(G/T)GTCCCTGTMSP158Eb 508[22]
TCACTCGCCGCTACTMSP2AEc 289
GTTCATCGCACTACTMSP2BEi 305
GGAATTCACACCGCCCGTC(A/G)(C/T)TATMSP3
CCAAGCTTATGCTTAAGT(C/T)(A/C)AA(A/G)GGGTMSP4A
CCAAGCTTATGCTTAAGTCCAGGGAGMSP4B

Encephalitozoonidae and Ent. bieneusi CCAGGUTGATUCTGCCUGACGMic3U65/62Eb 132[20]
TUACCGCGGCUGCUGGCACMic421UEc 113
AAGGAGCCTGAGAGATGGCTMic266Eh 134
CAATTGCTTCACCCTAAGGTCEb379Ei 128
GACCCCTTTGCACTCGCACACEc378
TGCCCTCCAGTAAATCACAACEh410
CCTCCAATCAATCTCGACTCEi395

Encephalitozoonidae and Ent. bieneusi CACCAGGTTGATTCTGCCC1 (V1)56Eb 1170[18]
GTGACGGGCGGTGTCTACC2Ec 1190
Eh 1205
Ei 1186***

EncephalitozoonidaeTGCAGTTAAAATGTCCGTAGTint530f401000 Didier et al., [39]
TTTCACTCGCCGCTACTCAGint580r

Enc. intestinalisCACCAGGTTGATTCTGCCTGACV158375[40]
CTCGCTCCTTTACACTCGAASi500

Enc. intestinalisGGGGGTAGGAGTGTTTTTG365930Schuitema et al., 1993, [41]
CAGCAGGCTCCCTCGCCATC3

Enc. intestinalis TTTCGAGTGTAAGGAGTCGASINTF155520[42, 43]
CCGTCCTCGTTCTCCTGCCCGSINTR

Enc. cuniculiATGAGAAGTGATGTGTGTGCGECUNF55549[43, 44]
TGCCATGCACTCACAGGCATCECUNR

Enc. hellemTGAGAAGTAAGATGTTTAGCAEHELF55547[44]
GTAAAAAGACTCTCACACTCAEHELR

Ent. bieneusiGAAACTTGTCCACTCCTTACGEBIEF155607[42]
CCATGCACCACTCCTGCCATTEBIER1
Ent. bieneusiCACCAGGTTGATTCTGCCTGACV148353[45, 46]
ACTCAGGTGTTATACTCACGTCEB450

Ent. bieneusiCACCAGGTTGATTCTGCCTGACV154446[24, 47]
CAGCATCCACCATAGACACMic3

Ent. bieneusiTCAGTTTTGGGTGTGGTATCGGEb.gc49210[48]
GCTACCCATACACACATCATTCEb.gt

Ent. bieneusiGCCTGACGTAGATGCTAGTC2551265[49]
ATGGTTCTCCAACTGAAACC2

Vittaforma corneaeTGAGACGTGAAGATGAGTATCNCORF155375Pieniazek NJ and Visvesvara GS personal communication
TCCCTGCCCACTGTCTCCAATNCORR1

Primers and probes used in hybridization

Encephalitozoon spp.CAGGTTGATTCTGCCTGACGFP63Notermans et al., [50]
ATCTCTCAGGCTCCCTCTCCRP

Enc. hellemACT CTCACA CTC ACT TCA GHEL878F54[51]

Ent. bieneusiCGGTGGTGTGTGTAGGCGTGAGAGTGTATCprobe55[52]
(hybridization)

Primers and probes used in RT-PCR or fluorogenic PCR

EncephP1 CCC TGT CCT TTG TAC ACA CCG CCCEncephP1 68[53]
EcunF1TCC TAG TAA TAG CGG CTG ACG AAEcunF159
EcunR2 ACT CAG GAC TCA GAC CTT CCG AEcunR259
EhelF1 GAA TGA TTG AAC AAG TTA TTT TGA ATG TGEhelF159
EhelR2 AAC ACG AAA GAC TCA GAC CTC TCAEhelR258
EintF1 AAT TCC TAG TAA TAA CGA TTG AAC AAG TTGEintF159
EintR2 ACG AAG GAC TCA GAC CTT CCA AEintR259

Ent. bieneusi CGCTGTAGTTCCTGCAGTAAACTATGCCFEB165102[33, 34]
CTTGCGAGCGTACTATCCCCAGAGREB1
ACGTGGGCGGGAGAAATCTTTAGTGTTCGGGprobe

Enc. intestinalis GCAAGGGAGGAATGGAACAGAACAGFEI165127[33]
TTCAGAAGCCCATTACACAGCREI1
CGGGCGGCACGCGCACTACGATAprobe

Ent. bieneusiTGTGTAGGCGTGAGAGTGTATCTGEbITS-89F60103[54]
CATCCAACCATCACGTACCAATCEbITS-191R
CACTGCACCCACATCCCTCACCCTTEbITS-114revT
Encephalitozoon spp.CACCAGGTTGATTCTGCCTGACMSP1F60
CTAGTTAGGCCATTACCCTAACTACCAEint227R
CTATCACTGAGCCGTCCEint82Trev

Encephalitozoon GTCCGT TAT GCC CTG AGA T60268
ACA GCA GCC ATG TTA CGACT
GCC CGT CGC TATCTA AGA TGA CGC Aprobe 1
TGG ACG AAG ATT GGA AGGTCT GAG TCprobe 2

Primers and probes used in oligonucleotide microarray

microsporidia-genericGATTCTGCCTGACGTGGATGCTATT Msp1 58[55]
ATTCCGGAGAGGGAGCCTGAGAGAT Msp2 61
ATTGACGGAAGGACACTACCAGGA Msp3 57
GTGCGGCTTAATTTGACTCAACGCG Msp4 58

Ent. bieneusi ACGGCTCAGTAATGTTGCGGTAATT Eb1 56
CCTATCAGCTTGTTGGTAGTGTAAA Eb2 54
TCATGAGACGTGAGTATAAGACCTG Eb3 56
ATCGAATACGTGAGAATGGCAGGAGT Eb4 58
CTAAAAGCGGAGAATAAGGCGCAAC Eb5 58
CGTTGTTCAATAGCGATGAGTTTGC Eb6 56
GGTGAAACTTAAAGCGAAATTGACGG Eb7 56
AGCCTGTGTGTGAGAATACGTGG Eb8 56

Encephalitozoon ACGGCTCAGTGATAGTACGATGATT Ence1 56
TATCAGCTGGTAGTTAGGGTAATGG Ence2 56
GAGTGAAACTTGAAGAGATTGACGG Ence3 56

Enc. cuniculi TGTGGGGTTGGCAAGTAAGTTGTGG Ec1 59
ATGAGAAGTGATGTGTGTGCGAGTG Ec2 58
GCCTGTGAGTGCATGGCATGAG Ec3 59
GGGAAACTGCAGATAGTGGTCTGC Ec4 59
GGATGTAGTGATGTGTGTGGCAGAG Ec5 59
CTGGACGGGACAGTGTGTGTTGT Ec6 59

Enc. hellem TAAGTTCTGGGGGTGGTAGTTTGTA Eh1 56
GCGGTTATGAGAAGTAAGATGTTTAGCA Eh2 57
CTGAAGTGAGTGTGAGAGTGTTTTTAC Eh3 57
ATTGGGAGCCTGGATGTAACTGTGG Eh4 59
GGATGTAGTTTTATTGTAGCAGAGG Eh5 54
TGGACGGGACTGTTTTAGTGTTGTC Eh6 58
Enc. intestinalis TTGACACGAGCCAAGTAAGTTGTAG Ei1 56
TTTCGAGTGTAAAGGAGTCGAGATTGA Ei2 57
GGCAGGAGAACGAGGACGGGAT Ei3 60
CAGGTAGGGGGCTAGGAGTGTTTTT Ei4 59
TATGTCCTGATGTGGATGTAAGAGG Ei5 56
TGGACGGGACTATATAGTGTTGTG Ei6 56

microsporidia-genericTTTMMAACGGCCATGCACCACMspR352var.Used to label initial PCR products

* Italics indicate hybridization probe. ** PstI and HaeIII restriction analysis differentiates these amplicons. *** HindIII and HinfI restriction analysis differentiates these amplicons. # Italics indicate melting temperature.