Although many Blastocystis infections remain asymptomatic, recent data suggest it also causes frequent symptoms. Therapy should be limited to patients with persistent symptoms and a complete workup for alternative etiologies. The goal of this study was to compare the natural evolution (no treatment) to the efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii) or metronidazole for the duration of diarrhea and the duration of colonization in children with gastrointestinal symptoms and positive stool examination for Blastocystis hominis. This randomized single-blinded clinical trial included children presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms (abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea-vomiting, flatulence) more than 2 weeks and confirmed B. hominis by stool examination (B. hominis cysts in the stool with microscopic examination of the fresh stool). The primary end points were clinical evaluation and result of microscopic stool examination at day 15. Secondary end points were the same end points at day 30. Randomization was performed by alternating inclusion: group A, S. boulardii (250 mg twice a day, Reflor®) during 10 days; group B, metronidazole (30 mg/kg twice daily) for 10 days; group C, no treatment. At day 15 and 30 after inclusion, the patients were re-evaluated, and stool samples were examined microscopically. On day 15, children that were still symptomatic and/or were still B. hominis-infected in group C were treated with metronidazole for 10 days. There was no statistically significant difference between the three study groups for age, gender, and the presence of diarrhea and abdominal pain. On day 15, clinical cure was observed in 77.7% in group A (n, 18); in 66.6% in group B (n, 15); and 40% in group C (n:15) (p < 0.031, between groups A and C). Disappearance of the cysts from the stools on day 15 was 80% in group B, 72.2% in group A, and 26.6% in group C (p = 0.011, between group B and group C; p = 0.013, between group A and group C). At the end of the first month after inclusion, clinical cure rate was 94.4% in group A and 73.3% in group B (p = 0.11). Parasitological cure rate for B. hominis was very comparable between both groups (94.4% vs. 93.3%, p = 0.43). Metronidazole or S. boulardii has potential beneficial effects in B. hominis infection (symptoms, presence of parasites). These findings challenge the actual guidelines.
Entamoeba moshkovskii and Entamoeba dispar are microscopically indistinguishable from the pathogenic species Entamoeba histolytica. There are limited data on the prevalence of these commensal infections from Africa. We utilized PCR and antigen detection to evaluate the carriage rate of E. moshkovskii, E. dispar, and E. histolytica infection in stool from a cohort of HIV-suspected or confirmed inpatients from Tanzania. Entamoeba histolytica was detected by ELISA in 4% (5/118) while Entamoeba moshkovskii and E. dispar were detected by PCR in 13% (18/136) and 5% (7/136) of individuals, respectively (P < 0.05). Supporting their commensal nature, neither Entamoeba moshkovskii nor E. dispar infection was statistically associated with HIV status, CD4 count, or the presence of diarrhea. These data suggest E. moshkovskii is a common infection in HIV-infected individuals in northern Tanzania and supports the concept that the microscopic detection of Entamoeba should be interpreted cautiously.
The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii (Sb) in addition to metronidazole in amebiasis. A prospective, randomized, open clinical trial was performed in 50 children presenting with acute bloody diarrhea caused by Entameba histolytica. Group A and B (each N = 25) was treated with metronidazole, but Sb (250 mg, twice daily) during the 7 days was added to Group B patients who were re-evaluated 2, 3, 5, 10, and 30 days after diagnosis. Duration of bloody diarrhea was significantly longer in Group A (72.0 +/- 28.5 versus 42.2 +/- 17.4 hours, P < 0.001). On day 5, amebic cysts had disappeared in all children in Group B, whereas in Group A, amebic cysts were still present in 6 children (P < 0.05). On day 10, all children were cured and cysts had disappeared in all. The addition of Sb to metronidazole in amebiasis significantly decreases duration of (bloody) diarrhea and enhances clearance of cysts.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.