The role played by Blastocystis in humans has been a subject of discussion due to its intestinal effects and modifications in the intestinal microbiota. We aimed to analyze the relationship between Blastocystis subtypes ST1-4 and 7, the Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio (F/B ratio) of fecal microbiota, and chronic stress in university students. This study had a cross-sectional design with a sample of 202 students. We analyzed fecal and hair samples, and stress inventories were applied to the students. The results showed a frequency of Blastocystis-colonized students of 52.97%. Regarding fecal microbiota, a median RAU of 0.801 for Firmicutes and 0.82 of Bacteroidetes were obtained, with an F/B ratio of 0.83. A low F/B ratio (66.04%) was more frequent in Blastocystis-colonized students, whereas a high F/B ratio (68.09%) (p =  < 0.0001) was found in the Blastocystis-non-colonized. Only Blastocystis ST3 did not significantly correlate with a low F/B ratio (p = 0.290). The ST4 was associated with lower values of cortisol (p = 0.030), psychological stress (p = 0.040), and lower frequency of constipation (p = 0.010). Only two students with the ST1 had abdominal pain (p = 0.007). Our results suggest that colonization by Blastocystis subtypes can modify the intestinal microbiota due to a decreased ratio between the two most representative phyla (F/B). Also, the results of this study show that ST4 colonization is related to a lower level of chronic stress. Graphical abstract

It has been demonstrated that the allergic response can be ameliorated by the administration of pathogen derivatives that activate Toll-like receptors and induce a Th1-type immune response (IR). Cryptosporidium is a parasite that promotes an IR via Toll-like receptors and elicits the production of Th1-type cytokines, which limit cryptosporidiosis. The aim of this study was to investigate allergy-related immune markers in children naturally infected with Cryptosporidium. In a cross-sectional study, 49 children with or without clinical diagnosis of allergies, oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp. in the faeces were screened microscopically. We microscopically screened for leucocytes, examined T and B cells for allergy-related activation markers using flow cytometry and evaluated serum for total IgE using chemiluminescence. Children with allergies and Cryptosporidium in the faeces had significantly lower levels of total IgE, B cells, CD19(+) CD23(+) and CD19(+) CD124(+) cells as well as a greater percentage of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ(+) ) and IL-4(+) CD4(+) cells than children with allergies without Cryptosporidium. This is the first description of the modulation of the IR in children with allergic diseases in the setting of natural Cryptosporidium infection. Our findings suggest the involvement of CD4(+) cells producing IL-4 and IFN-γ in the IR to Cryptosporidium in naturally infected children.

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Introducción. La obesidad y su comorbilidad son de las principales causas de muerte en México, es una enfermedad multifactorial, en la que se ha visto además la participación de un agente infeccioso. Ad36 se ha asociado con obesidad, pero paradójicamente también con niveles más bajos de glucosa, colesterol y triglicéridos, sin embargo, existe controversia en diferentes poblaciones. Objetivo. Evaluar la asociación de anticuerpos antiAd36 con variables antropométricas y bioquímicas. Material y métodos. Estudio transversal en 299 niños mexicanos mestizos en edad escolar (6 a 12 años). Se obtuvieron mediciones antropométricas de altura, peso corporal, circunferencia de la cintura, grosor del pliegue cutáneo del tríceps, se calculó índice de masa corporal (IMC) y relación cintura/ altura. Las variables bioquímicas incluyeron niveles séricos de glucosa, triglicéridos, colesterol total, lipoproteínas de alta densidad y lipoproteínas de baja densidad. Se utilizó un ensayo inmunoabsorbente ligado a enzimas (ELISA) para determinar los anticuerpos contra Ad36 en las muestras de suero. Resultados. Los anticuerpos anti-Ad36 se asociaron con niveles más bajos de colesterol sérico total (β = -0.133, p = 0.021) y LDL (β = -0.166, p = 0.004), y con niveles más altos de HDL (β = 0.120, p = 0.037), pero no con obesidad. Conclusión. En resumen, la exposición previa a Ad36 se asoció con un mejor perfil lipídico en niños mexicanos, independientemente de la obesidadBackground. Obesity and its comorbidities are one of the main causes of death in Mexico; it is a multifactorial disease, in which the participation of an infectious agent has been evaluated. Ad36 is associated with obesity, but paradoxically also with lower levels of glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides; however, there is controversy in different populations. Objective. To evaluate the association of antibodies against Ad36 with anthropometric and biochemical variables. Material and Methods. Cross-sectional study in 299 Mexican-mestizo children of elementary schools (6-12 years old). Anthropometric measurements of height, body weight, waist circumference, thickness of the triceps skin fold were obtained; body mass index (BMI) and waist / height ratio were calculated. Biochemical variables included serum glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins, and low-density lipoproteins. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine antibodies against Ad36 in serum samples. Results. Anti-Ad36 antibodies were associated with lower levels of total serum cholesterol (β = -0.133, p = 0.021) and LDL (β = -0.166, p = 0.004), and with higher levels of HDL (β = 0.120, p = 0.037), but not with obesity. Conclusion. Previous exposure to Ad36 was associated with a better lipid profile in Mexican children, regardless of obesity

Background: Blastocystis is a typical anaerobic colon protist in humans with controversial pathogenicity and has relation with alterations in the intestinal microbiota composition (dysbiosis), whose indicator is the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio (F/B ratio); this indicator is also linked to complications such as diabetes, obesity, or inflammatory bowel disease. The present study investigated the prevalence of Blastocystis and its association with intestinal dysbiosis in healthy and metabolic diseased subjects.Methods: Fecal and blood samples were collected consecutively from 200 healthy subjects, and 84 with diseased metabolic subjects; Blastocystis and its most frequent subtypes were identified by end-point PCR and the two most representative phyla of the intestinal microbiota Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes by real-time PCR.Results: The prevalence of Blastocystis in healthy subjects was 47.0%, and 65.48 % in subjects with metabolic disease; the most prevalent subtype in the total population was ST3 (28.38 %), followed by ST1 (14.86 %), ST4, ST5, and ST7 (each one of them with 14.19 % respectively), and finally ST2 (8.78 %). The low F/B ratio that characterizes intestinal dysbiosis was associated with the prevalence of Blastocystis in the two cohorts FACSA (OR = 3.78 P <0.05) and UNEME (OR = 4.29 p <0.05). Regarding the subtype level, an association between the FACSA cohort ST1 and ST7 with intestinal dysbiosis was found (OR = 3.99 and 5.44 p <0.05, respectively).Conclusions: The predatory role of Blastocystis over Firmicutes phylum is evident in both cohorts since it was observed that the abundance of the beneficial bacterial group's Bacteroidetes increases in the groups colonized by this eukaryote and, therefore, may have a beneficial effect.