Blastocystis

Nowhere is it more true that “prevention is better than cure,” than in the case of parasitic diseases - Rudolf Leuckart

Blastocystis
Blastocystis

image by: International Blastocystis Network

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My Microbes - Share Your Microbiota!

Many people are told by their GPs or specialists that they are infested by Blastocystis. What these people might not always be aware of is the fact that our intestine is home to billions of organisms, most of which are bacteria. Some bacteria are good for you and help you metabolise food items and synthesise compounds that you cannot produce yourself, while others are associated with disease. Some bacteria are supposed to be there and some are not.

Blastocystis is very successfully parasitising on the human intestine, but to our knowledge, there is still no convincing pathogenomic evidence of it causing disease. So, what does it do and why is it there? Does it cause…

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 My Microbes - Share Your Microbiota!

Blastocystis is very successfully parasitising on the human intestine, but to our knowledge, there is still no convincing pathogenomic evidence of it causing disease. So, what does it do and why is it there? Does it cause disease at all? How do we get it? We are are trying to find out...

Blastocystis Parasite Blog

One of the most common parasites – if not the most common – found in humans is Blastocystis. It is possible that more than 1 billion people harbour this parasite, and there is indicative evidence that it may cause intestinal symptoms, although it is also clear that many people are colonised by Blastocystis without experiencing symptoms. We therefore investigate the role of this parasite in health and disease.

Blastocystis Research Foundation

BRF’s web site has written and audio descriptions from patients, information on the newest research in diagnosis and treatment of Blastocystis ’hominis’ infection, and information on BRF”s advocacy program.

MyBlastoJourney

Things drastically changed for me in 2008. I would like to share my story with other’s in hope to raise awareness about the parasite Blastocystis Hominis in Canada and to take you through my journey with me as I try to beat this “Super Bug”.

BadBugs.org

Many laboratories in the UK would not be able to exclude D. fragilis and B. hominis, therefore it is possible that some patients infected with these parasites could be misdiagnosed as having IBS. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many patients infected with these parasites are indeed being misdiagnosed as having IBS.

Parasite Info

Blastocystis is generally considered to be a weak parasite. It attacks those people who have a weakened immune system or a very weakened digestive tract. Blastocystis, many times, is totally unsuspected as being the cause or connection with somebody's digestive illness, because many labs do not know to test for it, or do not even know that it is now considered harmful. It is quite common to find Blastocystis in conjunction with other parasites, see also candida or harmful bacteria.

CDC

Blastocystis is a common microscopic organism that inhabits the intestine and is found throughout the world. A full understanding of the biology of Blastocystis and its relationship to other organisms is not clear, but is an active area of research.

MayoClinic

Researchers don't yet fully understand the role that blastocystis plays, if any, in causing an infection. Certain subtypes of blastocystis may be more likely to cause symptomatic infection, or may pose a risk only when combined with other types of infection. In some cases, blastocystis simply resides in the digestive tract without causing harm.

Stanford.edu

The precise transmission mechanisms of Blastocystis Hominis remain murky. Fecal-oral transmission is the most accepted pathway, and recent studies have shown that transmission involves only the cyst form of the parasite.[9] The extent to which human-human, human-animal, and animal-human transmission occurs is still unknown

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