Disease relevance of Blastocystis

• By means of the administration of metronidazole 2 g/die for 5 days on average, I obtained the disappearance of Blastocystis hominis from the stools and the absence of the clinical symptomatology in 11 patients, while in another 7 the treatment did not prevent, in the following months, the arising of one or more clinical and microbiologic relapses [1].
• Urticaria by Blastocystis hominis. Successful treatment with paromomycin [2].
• BACKGROUND & AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of nitazoxanide for the treatment of diarrhea and enteritis associated with Blastocystis hominis as the sole identified pathogen in children and adults from the Nile delta of Egypt. METHODS: Two prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies were conducted [3].
• Stool samples of individual patients were examined using 7 methods, ie examination for stool occult blood, simple saline smear method, formalin-ether technique, culture for Blastocystis hominis, modified trichrome stain, modified Ziehl-Neelsen method, and trichrome stain for parasitic and bacterial infections [4].

High impact information on Blastocystis

• Blastocystis hominis was present in 33% of patients but in only 9% of those who took trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole [5].
• Ketoconazole and resistant Blastocystis hominis infection [6].
• A patient with rheumatoid arthritis taking prednisone developed Blastocystis hominis acute diarrhoea, which was associated with increased inflammation and effusion of the left knee [7].
• Programmed cell death in Blastocystis hominis occurs independently of caspase and mitochondrial pathways [8].
• Metronidazole induces programmed cell death in the protozoan parasite Blastocystis hominis [9].

Biological context of Blastocystis

• Genome walking experiments together with cloning were implemented to elucidate the 5' and 3' ends of the EF-1alpha gene of the human isolate, Blastocystis hominis C [10].

Associations of Blastocystis with chemical compounds

• Differentiation of the various stages of Blastocystis hominis by acridine orange staining [11].
• Membrane cholesterol in Blastocystis hominis was detected by freeze-fracture methods using a polyene antibiotic, filipin [12].
• Blastocystis hominis and the evaluation of efficacy of metronidazole and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole [13].
• Trimethoprim, metronidazole, quinacrine, tetracycline, paromomycin, and two new antiprotozoal drugs, nitazoxanide and deacetyl-nitazoxanide, showed cytostatic or cytocidal effects on all or some Blastocystis isolates [14].
• Clonal growth of Blastocystis hominis in soft agar with sodium thioglycollate [15].

Gene context of Blastocystis

• A phylogenetic reconstruction analysis with other eukaryotic EF-1alpha sequences was carried out to trace the phylogenetic position of Blastocystis among eukaryotic organisms [10].
• Genes encoding small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSUrRNA) of 16 Blastocystis isolates from humans and other animals were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction, and the corresponding fragments were cloned and sequenced [16].
• The carbohydrate residues of the surface coat of 20 axenic cultures of Blastocystis hominis were studied using FITC-labelled lectins (ConA, WGA, DBA, HPA, SBA, PNA, UEAI and LPA) [17].
• Blastocystis hominis possesses 5 patterns for hexokinase, 11 for phosphoglucomutase and 35 for glucose phosphate isomerase, showing that B. hominis is highly polymorphic [18].

References