Generalized Encephalitozoonosis in a Young Kitten with Cerebellar Hypoplasia

Summary In recent years opportunistic infections due to microsporidial organisms have become increasingly important in immunocompromised people. Infected animals could serve as reservoirs of such infections. A case of generalized encephalitozoonosis in a young kitten is reported. Diagnosis was established by histopathological, immunohistochemical and molecular biological investigations demonstrating characteristic lesions and DNA of Encephalitozoon cuniculi in formalin-fixed and paraffin wax-embedded tissue sections. Infections due to E. cuniculi are not common in cats, but a potential role of domestic cats in transmission of the infectious agent cannot be excluded.