Epizootiology of Microsporidiosis in Invertebrate Hosts

This chapter distinguishes microsporidian diseases that are, to our knowledge, restricted to invertebrate species and protists and considers the unique aspects of disease dynamics in invertebrate animals. The sheer number of invertebrate host species in numerous higher taxa and their multitude of associated pathogen species, as well as complex life histories and extremely disparate habitats, make epizootiological study in invertebrate animals a challenging undertaking. Many interactions are complex and extremely difficult to elucidate and, although all microsporidian species are relatively similar phenotypically and functionally, they are highly diverse in terms of host specificity, infectivity, virulence, tissue tropism, transmission mechanisms, physiological impacts, host density dependence, and environmental tolerance and persistence.