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Irregular shedding of Blastocystis hominis
G D Vennila1, G Suresh Kumar, A Khairul Anuar
1Department of Parasitology, Medical Faculty, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Abstract:
The shedding pattern of the protozoan parasite, Blastocystis hominis, is investigated in man and in experimental animal infections. The shedding pattern of the vacuolar and cystic forms of Blastocystis hominis in infected individuals have been shown in the present study to be irregular. The study shows that there is marked fluctuation in the shedding of the parasite from day to day, varying from as high as 17 to 0 per x40 microscopic field. The cystic stages when estimated in 8 Blastocystis-infected individuals ranged from as high as 7.4x10(5) cysts per gram of stool to 0. The shedding of cystic and vacuolar forms observed over a period of 20 days in experimentally-infected Wistar rats were not only shown to be irregular but the amount varied from host to host. The study has important diagnostic implications in that the stool samples must be collected more than once from patients showing clinical signs and symptoms to eliminate the cause of it to Blastocystis. The study also shows that there are asymptomatic individuals who pass a large amount of cysts as such individuals should be treated to prevent transmission to others.
Insights
Blastocystis hominis shedding is irregular in humans and animals, fluctuating daily. Multiple stool samples are needed for accurate diagnosis, and asymptomatic carriers require treatment to prevent transmission.
Area of Science:
- Medical Parasitology
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
Background:
- Blastocystis hominis is a common protozoan parasite found in humans.
- Understanding its shedding patterns is crucial for diagnosis and control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the shedding patterns of Blastocystis hominis in human and animal hosts.
- To determine the variability of vacuolar and cystic forms in stool samples.
Main Methods:
- Observation of shedding patterns in infected individuals.
- Experimental infection of Wistar rats over 20 days.
- Quantification of Blastocystis hominis cysts per gram of stool.
Main Results:
- Shedding of Blastocystis hominis (vacuolar and cystic forms) is irregular and fluctuates daily.
- Cyst counts varied significantly, from 0 to 7.4x10(5) cysts/gram in infected individuals.
- Experimental infections in rats showed host-to-host variation in shedding.
Conclusions:
- Irregular shedding necessitates multiple stool sample collections for accurate Blastocystis hominis diagnosis.
- Asymptomatic carriers shedding high cyst loads should be treated to prevent transmission.