Diarrhoea in piglets and monkeys experimentally infected with Balantidium coli isolated from human faeces

Ten piglets and four monkeys free from Balantidium were dosed with human faecal homogenate which contained 1.2 x 10(4)-4.8 x 10(4) B. coli cysts. The infection resulted in severe diarrhoea in piglets 1-6 and hydrocortisone-treated monkeys 1-2, moderate diarrhoea in piglets 7-10 and a subclinical infection in monkeys 3-4. In piglets 1-3 and monkeys 1-2, heavy infection of the intestinal mucosa extended from the terminal ileum to the rectum and the mucosa was severely damaged. In piglets 4-10, infection was heavy in the large intestine with moderate mucosal damage.