Development of Blastocystis hominis cysts into vacuolar forms in vitro

Abstract

The development of cysts of Blastocystis hominis isolated from human feces by the Ficoll-Paque concentration method and cultured in Jones' medium containing 10% horse serum is described. The morphological changes were studied by light and transmission electron microscopy at different intervals for up to 48 h. The cysts developed into a large number of vacuolar forms within 24 h, and binary fission was the only mode of reproduction observed.

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“…TEM studies of the development of cysts to vacuolar forms were elegantly demonstrated with a human isolate and a rat isolate (46,153). In those reports, fecal cysts from both humans and rat develop similarly and dramatically into vacuolar forms within 24 h of inoculation into growth medium.…”

“…21,2008 CLINICAL ASPECTS OF BLASTOCYSTIS SPP. 645 strain variations, or they are possibly cells in various stages of encystation or excystation, as similar morphologies were described in TEM studies of cells undergoing excystation (46,153).…”

“…4), which may or may not be covered by a loose surface coat (153,312,313). The cytoplasm of the cyst may contain one to four nuclei, mitochondria, glycogen deposits, and small vacuoles (5,46,153,312). One report (237) described the presence of large multinucleate cysts from the stools of Macaca monkeys, which were 15 m in size, and this was suggested to be an indication of differences among Blastocystis species.…”

“…The cyst form ( Fig. 1A and 3) is the most recently described form of the parasite, and the late discovery is due to its small size (2 to 5 m), which can result in confusion with fecal debris, and the observation that cysts are infrequently seen in laboratory culture (46,153,154,234,312). The cysts are variable in shape but are mostly ovoid or spherical.…”

“…The cyst is protected by a multilayered cyst wall (Fig. 4), which may or may not be covered by a loose surface coat (153,312,313). The cytoplasm of the cyst may contain one to four nuclei, mitochondria, glycogen deposits, and small vacuoles (5,46,153,312).…”