Post

New research · Ophthalmology
Cureus · 2d
Case reportCureus · 2026

Bilateral Encephalitozoon hellem Keratoconjunctivitis With Microsporidial Spores in Parrot Feces.

Xu Wang, Chao Wang, Jing Gao, Li Li
Read paper
OphthalmologyCase report

Metagenomic sequencing found E. hellem DNA dominating a corneal infection sample

Bilateral Encephalitozoon hellem Keratoconjunctivitis With Microsporidial Spores in Parrot Feces.

Xu Wang … Li Li
Cureus · 2026
Methods

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of the same specimen detected 9,684 reads assigned to E. hellem , with a relative abundance of approximately 98% and genome coverage of 63%, supporting the diagnosis.

Results
98%
these DNA fragments made up nearly all germs found in the sample
More results

We describe bilateral Encephalitozoon hellem keratoconjunctivitis in a 39-year-old immunocompetent woman with two years of daily close contact with a pet parrot.

Slit-lamp examination showed bilateral conjunctival inflammation and diffuse superficial punctate corneal infiltrates.

More results

Giemsa staining of a left-eye corneal scraping demonstrated oval spore-like structures, while bacterial and fungal cultures were negative.

“
Conclusion

It also illustrates that microscopic findings in avian feces alone cannot establish zoonotic transmission.

Read paper
0 comments

No comments yet. Be the first.

Related papers

LatestFoundational
AI / Informatics
0·962 for OCT
MerMED-FM was very accurate at diagnosing diseases using eye scans
AI / Informatics
0.98
Artificial intelligence's eyelid-height measurements matched doctors' manual measurements almost perfectly
AI / Informatics
92.1%
combining eye scans and photos correctly told benign from cancerous lesions apart nearly every time
Cohort Study
28.6%
recurred locally in more than 1 in 4 patients over years of follow-up
Cohort Study
-0.395
excision group's post-op eyelid fullness score was lower - greater improvement
Cohort Study
86.7%
of infants probed after 12 months still had unresolved tear duct blockage
Observational
16%
eyelid tissue in rosacea patients showed less of this key repair-signaling protein inside cell nuclei
Cohort Study
25%
about 1 in 4 treated cases had symptoms return after improving