New insights into the interactions between Blastocystis, the gut microbiota, and host immunity

Deng, Lei; Wojciech, Łukasz; Gascoigne, Nicholas R. J.; Peng, Guangneng; Tan, Kevin S. W.

doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1009253

Cited by 107 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 99 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Blastocystis sp. is one of the most common protists colonizing/infecting the gastrointestinal tract of humans and numerous animals and has a global distribution [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. The pathogenicity of Blastocystis is controversial, as the presence of Blastocystis in humans has been associated with gastrointestinal symptoms and/or urticaria, but it is also commonly found in asymptomatic individuals [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The pathogenicity of Blastocystis is controversial, as the presence of Blastocystis in humans has been associated with gastrointestinal symptoms and/or urticaria, but it is also commonly found in asymptomatic individuals [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. It has also been suggested that Blastocystis colonization could be associated with a healthy gut microbiome [ 4 ]. Blastocystis transmission is via the fecal-oral route, with direct transmission through contact with infected humans/animals or indirect transmission through ingestion of contaminated food and water [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Wide Genetic Diversity of Blastocystis in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from Maryland, USA

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Blastocystis is a gastrointestinal protist frequently reported in humans and animals worldwide. Wildlife populations, including deer, may serve as reservoirs of parasitic diseases for both humans and domestic animals, either through direct contact or through contamination of food or water resources. However, no studies of the occurrence and subtype distribution of Blastocystis in wildlife populations have been conducted in the United States. PCR and next generation amplicon sequencing were used to determine the occurrence and subtypes of Blastocystis in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Blastocystis was common, with 88.8% (71/80) of samples found to be positive. Twelve subtypes were identified, ten previously reported (ST1, ST3, ST4, ST10, ST14, ST21, and ST23–ST26) and two novel subtypes (ST30 and ST31). To confirm the validity of ST30 and ST31, MinION sequencing was used to obtain full-length SSU rRNA gene sequences, and phylogenetic and pairwise distance analyses were performed. ST10, ST14, and ST24 were the most commonly observed subtypes. Potentially zoonotic subtypes ST1, ST3, or ST4 were present in 8.5% of Blastocystis-positives. Mixed subtype infections were common (90.1% of Blastocystis-positives). This study is the first to subtype Blastocystis in white-tailed deer. White-tailed deer were found to be commonly infected/colonized with a wide diversity of subtypes, including two novel subtypes, zoonotic subtypes, and subtypes frequently reported in domestic animals. More studies in wildlife are needed to better understand their role in the transmission of Blastocystis.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wide Genetic Diversity of Blastocystis in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from Maryland, USA

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The positive perception of its function, including its use as probiotic [ 45 ], is in contrast to the here observed inverse association with Blastocystis , an organism now gradually recognized as beneficial to the gut health (e.g. [ 46 ]). Interestingly, in a mouse model, a pathogenic ST7 decreased the abundance of two taxa beneficial for gut health, Bifidobacterium sp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Blastocystis in the faeces of children from six distant countries: prevalence, quantity, subtypes and the relation to the gut bacteriome

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Blastocystis is a human gut symbiont of yet undefined clinical significance. In a set of faecal samples collected from asymptomatic children of six distant populations, we first assessed the community profiles of protist 18S rDNA and then characterized Blastocystis subtypes and tested Blastocystis association with the faecal bacteriome community. Methods Stool samples were collected from 244 children and young persons (mean age 11.3 years, interquartile range 8.1–13.7) of six countries (Azerbaijan 51 subjects, Czechia 52, Jordan 40, Nigeria 27, Sudan 59 and Tanzania 15). The subjects showed no symptoms of infection. Amplicon profiling of the 18S rDNA was used for verification that Blastocystis was the most frequent protist, whereas specific real-time PCR showed its prevalence and quantity, and massive parallel amplicon sequencing defined the Blastocystis subtypes. The relation between Blastocystis and the stool bacteriome community was characterized using 16S rDNA profiling. Results Blastocystis was detected by specific PCR in 36% (88/244) stool samples and was the most often observed faecal protist. Children from Czechia and Jordan had significantly lower prevalence than children from the remaining countries. The most frequent subtype was ST3 (49%, 40/81 sequenced samples), followed by ST1 (36%) and ST2 (25%). Co-infection with two different subtypes was noted in 12% samples. The faecal bacteriome had higher richness in Blastocystis-positive samples, and Blastocystis was associated with significantly different community composition regardless of the country (p < 0.001 in constrained redundancy analysis). Several taxa differed with Blastocystis positivity or quantity: two genera of Ruminococcaceae were more abundant, while Bifidobacterium, Veillonella, Lactobacillus and several other genera were undrerrepresented. Conclusions Asymptomatic children frequently carry Blastocystis, and co-infection with multiple distinct subtypes is not exceptional. Prevalence and quantity of the organism clearly differ among populations. Blastocystis is linked to both faecal bacteriome diversity and its composition. Graphical Abstract

show abstract

“…Some major contributors to this debate include the influences of co-infections, microbiome, and subtype identity of Blastocystis spp. (Deng et al, 2021 ). In one study presented in the Research Topic by Betts et al , the subtype identity of Blastocystis spp., concurrence of Cryptosporidium spp., Eimeria spp., Isospora spp., Entamoeba spp., and Giardia spp.…”

Section: Blastocystismentioning

confidence: 99%

Editorial: Recent Advances in the Controversial Human Pathogens Pneumocystis, Microsporidia and Blastocystis

Matos

Xiao

2021

Front. Microbiol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

New insights into the interactions between Blastocystis, the gut microbiota, and host immunity

Cited by 107 publications

References 99 publications

Wide Genetic Diversity of Blastocystis in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from Maryland, USA

Wide Genetic Diversity of Blastocystis in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from Maryland, USA

Blastocystis in the faeces of children from six distant countries: prevalence, quantity, subtypes and the relation to the gut bacteriome

Editorial: Recent Advances in the Controversial Human Pathogens Pneumocystis, Microsporidia and Blastocystis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About