A Study on the Prevalence and Subtype Diversity of the Intestinal Protist Blastocystis sp. in a Gut-Healthy Human Population in the Czech Republic.

ABSTRACT: Blastocystis sp. is a common intestinal protist colonizing the human intestine the prevalence of which varies across non-industrialized and industrialized countries. Its role in the human gut ecosystem remains unclear due to persisting gaps in knowledge of epidemiology and factors affecting gut colonization. Here, we aimed to expand the knowledge of the epidemiology of Blastocystis sp. in the gut-healthy humans in one of the industrialized European countries, including the distribution of its subtypes, the correlation between its occurrence and several factors such as lifestyle, contact with animals, age, and sex. A total of 288 stool samples were obtained from asymptomatic individuals over the entire age-range and 136 samples from animals with which the volunteers were in fr

SUBMITTER: Lhotska Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7573152 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature