Blastocystis hominis microbiota: study of 13255 patients and review of the literature

J, Belkhair; Karrati, I; Tarmidi, M; Mezouari, M El; Moutaj, R.

doi:10.15406/jmen.2021.09.00319

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…This could be attributed to higher standards of hygiene, lesser contact with animals and lower consumption rates of contaminated food and drink in developed countries. 3 , 4 Recent studies have suggested that Blastocystis sp. exist as part of gut microbiota in healthy individuals (asymptomatic) and in patients presenting with gastrointestinal disease (symptomatic).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification and Genetic Characterization of Blastocystis Species in Patients from Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Wakid¹,

WT²,

MN³

et al. 2022

IDR

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Background: Blastocystis species (sp.) are gastrointestinal protozoan parasites with high prevalence rates worldwide. Blastocystis sp. show extensive genetic diversity with 17 different subtypes (STs) described to date. A few studies have investigated the prevalence and STs of Blastocystis sp. in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we aimed in this study to identify and characterize subtypes of Blastocystis sp. in the City of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Stool samples were collected from 140 patients who presented to King Abdulaziz Hospital, Hera General Hospital and Modern Medical Center in Saudi Arabia. Different microscopic examination methods of patients' stools and molecular analyses (using primers targeting SSU rRNA gene) were performed to identify and characterize STs of Blastocystis sp. Results: Our microscopic examination of stool samples showed that 96/140 patients (68.6%) had Blastocystis sp. infection. Clinical examination of infected patients revealed that 81 patients were symptomatic, whereas 15 were asymptomatic. Next, we isolated DNA from Blastocystis sp.-positive stool samples followed by PCR amplification of small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene and sequence analysis. Our sequence analysis showed that subtype 3 (ST3) was the most prevalent (53.13%) followed by subtype 1 (ST1) (45.83%), whereas subtype 2 (ST2) was the least prevalent (1.04%). Moreover, our results showed that all three STs resulted in more symptomatic than asymptomatic cases. Finally, we identified novel haplotypes which comprised of 8 ST3, 6 ST1, and one ST2 haplotypes. Conclusion: Our identification of several haplotypes in patients' stools confirms the genetic diversity of Blastocystis sp. and may explain the reported low host specificity and differential pathogenicity of Blastocystis sp. We believe that additional molecular epidemiological and genomic studies are needed to understand the prevalence and pathogenicity of different subtypes in humans and animal hosts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification and Genetic Characterization of Blastocystis Species in Patients from Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Wakid¹,

WT²,

MN³

et al. 2022

IDR

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“…was the most frequent gut protist associated with polyparasitism, mainly with gut parasites. 13 This co-infection may result from having similar environmental, social, transmission, and age prevalence curves circumstances.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular assay and in vitro culture for Blastocystis prevalence in Dakahlia governorate, Egypt

Shakra

Abu-Sheishaa

Hafez

et al. 2023

EJI

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Blastocystis is a polymorphic enteric parasite with a worldwide distribution. It is one of the most common human intestinal protozoans in developing countries. The primary objective of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of microscopy, stool culture, and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for assessment of Blastocystis prevalence and risk factors. Human stool samples were collected from 110 individuals from Dakahlia governorate, Egypt as a part of a routine check-up or having gastrointestinal tract (GIT) symptoms. These samples were subjected to direct fecal smear microscopy, culture, and PCR for the detection of Blastocystis sp. Positive results for Blastocystis screening among the study population were 36 (32.7%), 41 (37.3%), and 43 (39.1%) by microscopy, PCR, and culture, respectively. Statistical analyses demonstrated that the agreement between the culture and PCR was perfect (Κ=0.925). Compared to culture, the sensitivity of PCR was 95% and the specificity was 97% while the sensitivity of microscopy was 84% and the specificity was 90.5%. We concluded that the in vitro culture and molecular assay have significant diagnostic value for the accurate detection and identification of Blastocystis in stool samples. The pathogenic potential of Blastocystis cannot be ruled out because our results found a link between Blastocystis carriage and gastrointestinal symptoms.

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“…is a gastrointestinal protozoan found in humans and many animals [1,2]. It has a large distribution worldwide, with increasing cases in developing countries, due to poor hygiene practices and consumption of contaminated food or water [3,4]. The pathogenicity of this parasite is questionable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular characterization of Blastocystis subtypes in symptomatic patients from the southern region of Syria

2023

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Blastocystis sp. is an enteric protist found in humans and a wide range of animal hosts. Genetic variations were established among the 38 different subtypes detected so far, 14 of which are commonly found in human and animal hosts. The aim of the present study is to estimate the prevalence of the common Blastocystis subtypes and evaluate the possible correlation with several variables (gender, age, symptoms, domestic animals…), among patients from the southern region of Syria. Fecal samples were collected from individuals suffering from gastrointestinal complaints. Microscopic examination along with genotype analyses using seven pairs of subtype-specific primers was performed. Our results revealed the presence of Blastocystis sp. in 46 isolates out of the 60 samples microscopically studied (76.7%); single infection was detected in 24 isolates whereas co-infection with other protozoa was identified in 22 ones. Molecular detection targeting the SSU rRNA gene revealed a 100% positive presence of Blastocystis sp. in all the samples. Genotyping results detected the presence of five different subtypes (ST1-ST5) with varying proportions. However, ST1 was the dominant subtype observed (66.7%). Mixed subtype infections were found in 9 isolates (15%). Three samples remained undefined, nonetheless. Our statistical results showed no significant correlation between Blastocystis STs infection and the different studied variables. In conclusion, this study provides the first genetic characterization of Blastocystis subtypes prevalence in patients from the southern region of Syria. ST1 distribution was highly predominant. Further molecular studies are needed to estimate the prevalence of Blastocystis sp. infection in other regions in Syria and to understand the epidemiology and sources of transmission to humans.

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Blastocystis hominis microbiota: study of 13255 patients and review of the literature

Cited by 3 publications

References 13 publications

Identification and Genetic Characterization of Blastocystis Species in Patients from Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Identification and Genetic Characterization of Blastocystis Species in Patients from Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Molecular assay and in vitro culture for Blastocystis prevalence in Dakahlia governorate, Egypt

Molecular characterization of Blastocystis subtypes in symptomatic patients from the southern region of Syria

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