Associations between Gut Microbiota and Common Luminal Intestinal Parasites

Abstract

The development and integration of DNA-based methods in research and clinical microbiology laboratories have enabled standardised and comprehensive detection and differentiation of the microbes colonising our guts. For instance, the single-celled parasites Blastocystis and Dientamoeba appear to be much more common than previously thought, especially so in healthy individuals. While increasing evidence appears to suggest limited pathogenicity of these parasites, next-generation-sequencing-based studies have helped us to appreciate links between parasite colonisation and certain host phenotypical characteristics and gut microbial profiles. The fundamental question remains as to whether such parasites are merely indicators or active manipulators of gut microbiota structure and function. In this article, we collate existing evidence that these parasites are, at minimum, indicators of intestinal microbiota structure.

Prevalence of intestinal parasites, with emphasis on the molecular epidemiology of Giardia duodenalis and Blastocystis sp., in the Paranaguá Bay, Brazil: a community survey

“…Other EPs such as the heterokont Blastocystis sp. and the protozoan Dientamoeba fragilis appear much more common than previously thought, especially in healthy individuals [11–13] and have been associated with gastrointestinal disorders including irritable bowel syndrome [14]. Because of its high degree of genetic diversity, a total of 17 subtypes (STs) with marked differences in host specificity and geographical distribution have been recognised within Blastocystis , with STs 1–4 accounting for ~90% of the human infections reported globally [15].…”

3D mapping of host-parasite-microbiome interactions reveals metabolic determinants of tissue tropism and disease tolerance in Chagas disease

“…The GI tract is a complex environment where host, pathogen and microbiota interact to affect disease pathogenesis 9 . We previously demonstrated that T. cruzi infection affects the fecal microbiome and metabolome, but information on the specific GI sites driving this output had not yet been determined 10 .…”

Contrasting Strategies: Human Eukaryotic Versus Bacterial Microbiome Research

“…Although there are no exclusively eukaryotic microbiota transplants (single or a few microbes introduced into a host are better described as probiotics), there has been a little attention to how eukaryotic microbes work in FMT treatments. Some of the existing scrutiny is negative: if Blastocystis and other protists are found in donor stools for FMTs, that stool sample is often excluded from the treatment (Stensvold and van der Giezen ). Fungal contributions to general FMTs are just beginning to be assessed.…”

“…). Correlations between Blastocystis and anaerobic bacteria can also be driven by oxygen levels (Stensvold and van der Giezen ) and require particular age‐related diversity conditions in the bacterial gut microbiota (Scanlan et al. ).…”