LAUSR

Answer: a. Transmission electron micrograph (TEM) is still the gold standard for identification of microsporidium species using ultrastructural characteristics such as the number of polar filament cross sections, arrangement of polar filaments, and location of proliferation within the host cell (cytoplasm or within a vesicle). More recently, nucleic acid amplification and sequencing have also been used for definitive identification. Histopathology, chromotrope-based staining, and cell culture can identify microsporidium spores but cannot reliably identify to the species level.