A Cross-Sectional Study on the Occurrence of the Intestinal Protist, Dientamoeba fragilis, in the Gut-Healthy Volunteers and Their Animals

Jirků, Milan; Kašparová, Andrea; Lhotská, Zuzana; Oborník, Miroslav; Brožová, Kristýna; Petrželková, Klára J.; Samaš, Peter; Kadlecová, O; Stensvold, Christen Rune; Jirků, Kateřina

doi:10.3390/ijms232315407

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 69 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The role of co-infection is unclear, but it is hypothesized that D. fragilis is transmitted via the fecal-oral route and may be associated with travel and animal contact [ 57 ]. It has also been noted that co-infection of these two intestinal parasites has a prevalence ranging from ~18 to 34% in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms [ 58 ]. In the present study, co-infection of Blastocystis spp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blastocystis spp. and Other Intestinal Parasites in Polish Soldiers Deployed to Lebanon and Iraq

Kosik-Bogacka,

Korzeniewski,

Łanocha-Arendarczyk

et al. 2024

Pathogens

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Intestinal parasitic infections are one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide, particularly in developing countries. A distinct group at increased risk of infection is military personnel deployed overseas for extended periods, typically six months at a time. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Blastocystis spp. and other intestinal parasites in Polish military personnel returning from deployments to Lebanon (n = 206) and Iraq (n = 220). In this group of subjects, we found Blastocystis spp. (13.6%), Dientamoeba fragilis (3.3%), Entamoeba coli (0.9%), and Endolimax nana (0.5%). Entamoeba histolytica sensu lato and Chilomastix mesnili infections were detected only in one soldier returning from Lebanon and Iraq, respectively. Blastocystis subtype (ST) 3 was predominant in soldiers returning from Lebanon, followed by ST2 and ST1. ST1 infection was predominant in soldiers returning from Iraq, followed by ST3 and ST2. Our study affirms that, deployment abroad is of no influence of the prevalence of parasitic protozoa. However, it would be worth to monitor parasite infection in military personnel returning from tropical zone even if they have no actual symptoms. In addition, it is very important to determine the subtypes of Blastocystis—this may help to clearly define their pathogenicity, especially considering the scarcity of studies on Blastocystis genotypes in Iraqi and Lebanese residents.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blastocystis spp. and Other Intestinal Parasites in Polish Soldiers Deployed to Lebanon and Iraq

Kosik-Bogacka,

Korzeniewski,

Łanocha-Arendarczyk

et al. 2024

Pathogens

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For the accurate detection of intestinal protists and the assessment of their prevalence in gut-healthy individuals, the utilization of a precise and highly sensitive molecular method is imperative e.g. [ 29 , 30 ]. This choice becomes particularly crucial in the case of Giardia , given the sensitivity and specificity challenges associated with existing molecular targeting protocols [ 18 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The distribution of intestinal protists is influenced by various epidemiological factors such as living locality, contact with animals, travel history, age, and gender [ 21 , 30 ]. Among these factors, only contact with animals significantly impacted Giardia occurrence in gut-healthy individuals in our study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The opportunistic protist, Giardia intestinalis , occurs in gut-healthy humans in a high-income country

Brožová,

Jirků,

Lhotská

et al. 2023

Emerging Microbes & Infections

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Giardia intestinalis , a cosmopolitan gastrointestinal protist, is detected mainly in patients with clinical giardiasis in high-income countries. In contrast, there is very little information on the presence of Giardia in asymptomatic individuals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the presence and prevalence of Giardia in gut-healthy volunteers in the Czech Republic and to perform a comparative evaluation of different diagnostic methods, since Giardia diagnostics is complicated. Our results confirmed that the qPCR method is the most sensitive method for detecting Giardia and revealed a prevalence of 7% (22/296) in asymptomatic individuals. In most cases, the colonization intensity ranged from 10 −1 –10 1 . A conventional PCR protocol targeting the TPI gene was used to identify the assemblages. However, this protocol had limited sensitivity for Giardia amplification, effectively detecting colonization above an intensity of 10 4 . In addition, Giardia was detected in 19% of the animals, which were closely associated with the study participants. However, due to methodological limitations, zoonotic transmission could not be clearly confirmed. Notably, contact with animals proved to be the only factor that had a significant impact on the incidence of Giardia in gut-healthy humans.

show abstract

“…Other protozoa frequently found but with controversial pathogenicity are Dientamoeba fragilis and Blastocystis spp. Dientamoeba fragilis has been selectively reported in developed countries ranging from to 0.2 to 82%, this variability depends on the geographical area, population group, study design and diagnostic procedures [12][13][14]. Blastocystis spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular diagnosis of intestinal protozoa in young adults and their pets in Colombia, South America

Potes-Morales

Crespo-Ortiz

2023

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Intestinal parasitic infections have been considered a relevant public health problem due to the increased incidence worldwide. In developing countries, diarrhea and gastrointestinal symptoms cause impaired work capacity in adults and delayed rate growth in children. Enteric infections of unknown etiology can often lead to misdiagnosis, increased transmission, and morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in a young adult population and their pets. Stool samples from 139 university students and 44 companion animals were subjected to microscopy diagnosis using wet mounts, concentration by zinc sulphate flotation and staining techniques (Kinyoun and trichrome stain). Molecular diagnosis of protozoa was also performed by conventional PCR. The mean age was 24 years, 54% individuals were female, 46% were men, and 66% had at least one pet. The overall prevalence for at least one parasite was 74.8% and the rate of polyparasitism was 37.5%. Eighty-three patients (59.7%) were positive for Blastocystis spp., followed by Cryptosporidium spp. 24.5%, Endolimax nana 13.6%, Entamoeba dispar/E. moshkovskii 7.8% and Giardia intestinalis 1.4%. Molecular diagnosis substantially improved Cryptosporidium spp. and Blastocystis spp. detection and allowed to distinguish E. histolytica from commensals in the Entamoeba complex. Student’s pets were also examined for parasitism. Samples from 27 dogs, 15 cats, one rabbit and one hen were analyzed, and parasites were detected in 30 (68.2%) as follows: Cryptosporidium spp. (24) Giardia spp. (4), hookworm (3), Endolimax nana (2) and Toxoplasma gondii (1). Overall, university students showed high prevalence of parasitism and polyparasitism suggesting exposure to parasite infected animals and contaminated environments. Cryptosporidium spp. was the predominant pathogen in human and domestic animals, and it was only detected by PCR, pointing out the need for sensitive tests in diagnosis and surveillance. Control strategies to prevent the effects of parasitic infections in young population should consider pets as reservoirs and transmission source.

show abstract

A Cross-Sectional Study on the Occurrence of the Intestinal Protist, Dientamoeba fragilis, in the Gut-Healthy Volunteers and Their Animals

Cited by 13 publications

References 69 publications

Blastocystis spp. and Other Intestinal Parasites in Polish Soldiers Deployed to Lebanon and Iraq

Blastocystis spp. and Other Intestinal Parasites in Polish Soldiers Deployed to Lebanon and Iraq

The opportunistic protist, Giardia intestinalis , occurs in gut-healthy humans in a high-income country

Molecular diagnosis of intestinal protozoa in young adults and their pets in Colombia, South America

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About