Blastocystis Parasite Blog: gut mucosa

On Blastocystis

Blastocystis is a protist parasitising the intestine of humans and a variety of animals. We estimate that at least 1 billion people worldwide are colonised by this parasite, most of whom probably experience no more episodes of intestinal upset, e.g. diarrhoea, than the average individual. In any case, many people have Blastocystis wihtout knowing and without feeling sick. Blastocystis may colonise the intestine for a long time (i.e. months or years).

Many species of Blastocystis have been acknowledged, of which at least 9 have been found in humans. Such species are currently termed "subtypes" (STs). ST1, ST2, ST3 and ST4 are common in Europe. While ST1, ST2, and ST3 appear to have equal prevalences in patients with diarrhoea and healthy individuals, ST4 appears to be epidemiologically linked to diarrhoea and/or chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

There is no known efficient eradication strategy for Blastocystis. Although metronidazole is often prescribed for Blastocystis infections, there is conflicting reports on its efficacy. Even in combination with a luminal agent, such as paromomycin, Blastocystis eradication cannot be guaranteed. Read more here.

I'm very interested in studies aiming to explore
1) Blastocystis in the environment
2) Why some people are colonised while others are not
3) Whether Blastocystis colonisation requires a certain intestinal flora (e.g. enterotype) to establish
4) To which extent human Blastocystis is acquired from animal reservoirs
5) Potential differences in virulence between subtypes or strains (by for instance comparative genomic studies)

During my Blastocystis research, I and my colleagues have discovered/developed
1) New Blastocystis species
2) Precise molecular methods for accurate detection (PCR)
3) High resolution typing systems (MLST) for strain identification of Blastocystis
4) A standardised nomenclature for Blastocystis
5) A publicly available database for identification of subtypes and sequence data despository (please see links below)

Using microscopy-, culture-based and molecular tools we have generated data that have shed light over the transmission and distribution of Blastocystis subtypes in human and animals.

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Friday, March 15, 2013

Immunology in the Gut Mucosa

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