Ultrastructure of Blastocystis hominis in human stool samples

A study of the ultrastructure of Blastocystis hominis in human stools found morphological differences between the organisms seen and those present in laboratory cultures. B. hominis found in stool samples showed little morphological variation with storage time before fixation, but were consistently smaller (approximately 5 microns in diameter), with a thicker surface coat than the cultured organisms. The large central vacuole, characteristic of the cultured organisms, and accepted as standard morphology of B. hominis, was rarely observed in organisms present in stool samples. Instead, a number of small vacuoles, or possibly a network of interconnected vacuoles, were noted. After short-term culture, organisms from these samples appeared with the typical vacuolated morphology. No large vacuoles were present in organisms obtained at colonoscopy. These results suggest that the vacuolated form as previously described may be an artefact of culture conditions, and that the form of B. hominis present in the gastrointestinal tract is avacuolar.