Project description:Blastocystis is an anaerobic unicellular protozoal parasite infecting the gastrointestinal tract of humans and a wide range of animals. It is one of the most common enteric microorganisms with higher prevalence rates in developing than in developed countries. Feco-oral is the main route of transmission where low socioeconomic conditions, poor hygienic practices, close contact with animals, and drinking contaminated water act as major risk factors. Infection with Blastocystis was demonstrated in both symptomatic and asymptomatic people. For a long period, Blastocystis was considered a commensal organism with no pathogenic role, but recently, many studies linked it to different gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Association with irritable bowel syndrome and colorectal cancer was also reported.
This study aims to:
- Identify subtypes of human Blastocystis isolates in Sohag by using RFLP-PCR and provide additional information on the molecular epidemiology of this parasite in our locality.
Project description:description Blastocystis sp. is a highly prevalent anaerobic eukaryotic parasite of humans and animals. The genome of several representatives has been sequenced revealing specific traits such as an intriguing 3’-end processing of primary transcripts. We have acquired a first high-throughput proteomics dataset on the difficult to cultivate ST4 isolate WR1 and detected 2,761 proteins. We evidenced for the first time by proteogenomics a functional termination codon derived from transcript polyadenylation for seven different key cellular components.
