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Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery Jun 2015Over one billion people worldwide harbor intestinal parasites. Parasitic intestinal infections have a predilection for developing countries due to overcrowding and poor... (Review)
Review
Over one billion people worldwide harbor intestinal parasites. Parasitic intestinal infections have a predilection for developing countries due to overcrowding and poor sanitation but are also found in developed nations, such as the United States, particularly in immigrants or in the setting of sporadic outbreaks. Although the majority of people are asymptomatically colonized with parasites, the clinical presentation can range from mild abdominal discomfort or diarrhea to serious complications, such as perforation or bleeding. Protozoa and helminths (worms) are the two major classes of intestinal parasites. Protozoal intestinal infections include cryptosporidiosis, cystoisosporiasis, cyclosporiasis, balantidiasis, giardiasis, amebiasis, and Chagas disease, while helminth infections include ascariasis, trichuriasis, strongyloidiasis, enterobiasis, and schistosomiasis. Intestinal parasites are predominantly small intestine pathogens but the large intestine is also frequently involved. This article highlights important aspects of parasitic infections of the colon including epidemiology, transmission, symptoms, and diagnostic methods as well as appropriate medical and surgical treatment.
PubMed: 26034403
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1547335 -
International Medical Case Reports... 2022is a ciliated protozoan parasite, which causes intestinal and extraintestinal infections in humans. It is transmitted feco-orally by ingesting infective cysts with food...
BACKGROUND
is a ciliated protozoan parasite, which causes intestinal and extraintestinal infections in humans. It is transmitted feco-orally by ingesting infective cysts with food and water. Urinary balantidiasis may occur through contamination (direct spread from the anal area), secondarily to rectovaginal fistula and following immune suppression. Data about cases of urinary balantidiasis are rare in the world. Currently, there are no documented reports of urinary balantidiasis in Ethiopia. As our understanding, there are only eleven documented reports of urinary balantidiasis globally. However, cases of urinary balantidiasis among pregnant women have not been documented yet. The aim of this report is to alarm health professionals for considering the occurrence of such rare cases and conduct diagnosis.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 24-year old pregnant woman was admitted due to severe preeclampsia and preterm delivery at Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, gynecology ward. Her urine was presented to inpatient laboratory for routine urinalysis. We detected unusual and ciliated parasite from her urine sediment characterized by its active and rotary motility through its cilia and possessing macro- and micro-nuclei, several food vacuoles and ingested red blood cells inside the cytoplasm. Hematuria, many white blood cells and epithelial cells were also detected from the urine sediment, which suggests genito-urinary tract infection due to this parasite. This rare parasite finding was confirmed to be .
CONCLUSION
The route of transmission and extraintestinal existence from this woman's urine was unclear. It might be due to feco-oral transmission and spread to the genitourinary tract through direct anal contact. Moreover, it might be associated with immune suppression as she is pregnant woman.
PubMed: 35345500
DOI: 10.2147/IMCRJ.S355536 -
Journal of Parasitic Diseases :... Jun 2019A 14 years old female Asiatic elephant was presented to the hospital with a history of mucoid watery diarrhea, inappetence and lethargy. Clinical examination revealed...
A 14 years old female Asiatic elephant was presented to the hospital with a history of mucoid watery diarrhea, inappetence and lethargy. Clinical examination revealed normal body temperature (98.2 °F), tachycardia (42 bpm), eupnoea (14/min), congested mucous membrane and dehydration. Haemato-biochemical parameters are well within the range. Microscopic examination of faecal sample revealed presence of live, motile and pear shaped ciliated protozoa. Based on clinical and laboratory examination, the condition was diagnosed as balantidiasis. The animal was treated with Tab. Metronidazole (10 mg/Kg, PO, BID) for 5 days. Supportive treatment was done with antacids, hepatoprotectants and multivitamin supplements. An uneventful recovery was noticed after 5 days of treatment.
PubMed: 31263322
DOI: 10.1007/s12639-018-1072-1 -
British Medical Journal Nov 1947
Topics: Balantidiasis
PubMed: 20271092
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.2.4532.794 -
Veterinary World Apr 2021Balantidiasis, caused by (syn. or ), represents a neglected parasitic infection of zoonotic significance affecting a variety of hosts, including domestic pigs that are...
BACKGROUND AND AIM
Balantidiasis, caused by (syn. or ), represents a neglected parasitic infection of zoonotic significance affecting a variety of hosts, including domestic pigs that are the main reservoir. has a direct life cycle with a fecal-oral route transmission that occurs mainly by the ingestion of food and water contaminated with cysts. The ingestion of meat contaminated during inappropriate slaughtering processes may represent a new potential route of transmission. Only a few studies have investigated the prevalence of in domestic pigs in Italy, despite its high prevalence and zoonotic significance. This study aimed to improve the knowledge on i prevalence in domestic swine reared both in intensive and "en plein air" breeding systems in the south of Italy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The infection rate of in pigs bred in 15 different pig farms and regularly slaughtered in South Italy, in the Calabria region, was investigated. From 2017 to 2019, 177 terminal parts of the rectums of pigs, of which 91 commercial hybrids and 86 autochthonous (Nero Calabrese), reared, respectively, in intensive and "en plein air" breeding system, were tested for parasite detection. After the slaughtering, the terminal part of the rectum was sampled and transported to the laboratories and immediately processed. For the detection of trophozoites, fresh smears of feces were examined at light microscopy. Moreover, flotation was performed using a sodium chloride solution, then smears of feces were dispersed on microscope slides and examined at light microscopy. The observed parasites were identified at the species level using morphological characteristics.
RESULTS
was detected in a total of 83 (i.e., 46.89%) pigs, with a significantly higher prevalence (p<0.0001) found in commercial hybrid (i.e., 59/91-64.84%) pigs rather than in autochthonous ones (i.e., 24/86-27.91%). It follows that the infection was more common in pigs reared in the intensive breeding system than in "en plein air" ones (p<0.0001). The infection prevalence was higher in males than in females and lower in elder animals than in younger ones (p=0.012 and p<0.0001, respectively).
CONCLUSION
The breeding system is likely the main discriminant for the parasite spread as well as the hygienic condition of the farms. Good manufacturing and hygiene practices along the food production chain are crucial in preventing human balantidiasis transmission by meat consumption. The high prevalence, the wide spectrum of host species, and its zoonotic significance push toward a greater public interest.
PubMed: 34083958
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.1044-1049 -
Experimental and Clinical... Dec 2004More than 340 parasitic species infect more than 3 billion people worldwide with varying morbidity and mortality. The Tropics constitute the main reservoir of infection... (Review)
Review
More than 340 parasitic species infect more than 3 billion people worldwide with varying morbidity and mortality. The Tropics constitute the main reservoir of infection with the highest clinical impact, owing to favorable ecological factors. Acquisition of infection, clinical severity, and outcome of a parasitic disease depend on innate and acquired host immunity as well as the parasite's own immune response against the host when infection is established. Organ transplant recipients may acquire significant parasitic disease in 3 ways: transmission with the graft, de novo infection, or activation of dormant infection as a consequence of immunosuppression. Malaria, Trypanosoma, Toxoplasma, and Leishmania are the principal parasites that may be transmitted with bone marrow, kidney, or liver homografts, and microsporidia with xenotransplants. De novo infection with malaria and kala-azar may occur in immunocompromised travelers visiting in endemic areas, while immunocompromised natives are subject to superinfection with different strains of endemic parasites, reinfection with schistosomiasis, or rarely, with primary infections such as acanthamoeba. The list of parasites that may be reactivated in the immunocompromised host includes giardiasis, balantidiasis, strongyloidiasis, capillariasis, malaria, Chagas' disease, and kalaazar. The broad clinical syndromes of parasitic infection in transplant recipients include prolonged pyrexia, lower gastrointestinal symptoms, bronchopneumonia, and meningoencephalitis. Specific syndromes include the hematologic manifestations of malaria, myocarditis in Chagas' disease, acute renal failure in malaria and leishmaniasis, and the typical skin lesions of Chagas' and cutaneous leishmaniasis. Many antiparasitic drugs have the potential for gastrointestinal, hepatic, renal, and hematologic toxicity, and may interact with the metabolism of immunosuppressive agents. It is recommended that transplant clinicians have a high index of suspicion of parasitic infections as an important transmission threat, as well as a potential cause of significant posttransplant morbidity.
Topics: Humans; Organ Transplantation; Parasitic Diseases
PubMed: 15859939
DOI: No ID Found -
The Korean Journal of Parasitology Feb 2020Balantidium coli human infection predominantly occurs in tropical and subtropical regions in the world. Human case is extremely rare in China. This report details a case... (Review)
Review
Balantidium coli human infection predominantly occurs in tropical and subtropical regions in the world. Human case is extremely rare in China. This report details a case of B. coli infection in a 68-year-old man in China, who presented with history of abdominal pain, tenesmus, diarrhea with blood and was diagnosed as B. coli-caused dysentery. Our case indicates possible occurrence of Balantidium coli-related disease in cooler climates. This case is presented not only because of its rarity but also for future references.
Topics: Aged; Balantidiasis; Balantidium; China; Climate; Dysentery; Humans; Male
PubMed: 32145726
DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2020.58.1.47 -
Clinical Microbiology Reviews Oct 2008Balantidium coli is a cosmopolitan parasitic-opportunistic pathogen that can be found throughout the world. Pigs are its reservoir hosts, and humans become infected... (Review)
Review
Balantidium coli is a cosmopolitan parasitic-opportunistic pathogen that can be found throughout the world. Pigs are its reservoir hosts, and humans become infected through direct or indirect contact with pigs. In rural areas and in some developing countries where pig and human fecal matter contaminates the water supply, there is a greater likelihood that balantidiosis may develop in humans. The infection may be subclinical in humans, as it mostly is in pigs, or may develop as a fulminant infection with bloody and mucus-containing diarrhea; this can lead to perforation of the colon. The disease responds to treatment with tetracycline or metronidazole. Balantidiosis is a disease that need never exist given access to clean water and a public health infrastructure that monitors the water supply and tracks infections. Its spread can be limited by sanitary measures and personal hygiene, but it is a disease that will be around as long as there are pigs. Immunocompromised individuals have developed balantidiosis without any direct contact with pigs, perhaps with rats or contaminated produce as a possible source of infection. For the clinician, balanatidiosis should be included in the differential diagnosis for persistent diarrhea in travelers to or from Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific islands, rural South America, or communities where close contact with domestic swine occurs. Warming of the earth's surface may provide a more favorable environment, even in the now-temperate areas of the world, for survival of trophic and cystic stages of Balantidium, and its prevalence may increase. Effective sanitation and uncontaminated water are the most useful weapons against infection. Fortunately, balantidiosis responds to antimicrobial therapy, and there have been no reports of resistance to the drugs of choice.
Topics: Animals; Antiprotozoal Agents; Asia, Southeastern; Balantidiasis; Balantidium; Disease Reservoirs; Humans; Pacific Islands; Sanitation; South America; Swine; Swine Diseases; Zoonoses
PubMed: 18854484
DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00021-08 -
Case Reports in Infectious Diseases 2022Balantidiasis, due to its rare human incidence and nonspecific clinical presentations often neglected from the diagnosis considerations; however, a potent pathogen....
BACKGROUND
Balantidiasis, due to its rare human incidence and nonspecific clinical presentations often neglected from the diagnosis considerations; however, a potent pathogen. Herein, we report a case of neglected balantidiasis presumed as antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. . A 27-year-old policeman presented in Sindhuli Hospital, with a chief complaint of epigastric pain, nausea, decreased appetite for several days, and loose stools (3-4 episodes per day). Previously, he was under antibiotic therapy (amoxycillin) for tonsillitis. The health post clinician made a presumptive diagnosis as the side effects of the antibiotics; however, the symptoms were not resolved. Complete blood cell count (CBC) was normal; renal function test (RFT) and liver function (LFT) were within the normal ranges. Ultrasonography of the abdomen and ECG (electrocardiogram) showed normal findings. However, on routine stool actively motile trophozoites of () were seen. He was treated successfully with metronidazole 750 mg tabs orally three times daily for 5 days.
CONCLUSION
Protozoal infections, like balantidiasis, might be excluded from the diagnostic consideration in antibiotic-associated diarrhoea cases. Therefore, meticulous review of nonspecific clinical presentation and validation of an etiology with support of diagnostic tests are mandatory.
PubMed: 35734242
DOI: 10.1155/2022/6013151 -
Veterinary Parasitology Sep 2023Domestic camels (Camelus bactrianus, the Bactrian camel; and Camelus dromedarius, the dromedary) are pseudo-ruminant herbivores kept as livestock in rural, inhospitable...
Domestic camels (Camelus bactrianus, the Bactrian camel; and Camelus dromedarius, the dromedary) are pseudo-ruminant herbivores kept as livestock in rural, inhospitable regions (cold deserts and dry steppes of Asia, arid to semi-arid regions of Africa, western and central Asia). Their close contact with humans makes them a potential reservoir for zoonotic parasite infections, as has been suggested for human balantidiasis. However, there is confusion about the ciliate species that infects camels: Infundibulorium cameli was originally described in dromedaries, but this name has almost never been used and most authors identified their findings as Balantioides coli and, to a lesser extent, Buxtonella sulcata, a cattle ciliate. To clarify the taxonomic status of the parasite and the corresponding zoonotic significance for camels, we performed morphological characterization of cysts and genetic analysis (SSU-rDNA and ITS markers) of B. coli-like isolates from Bactrian camels from Bulgaria and from dromedaries from Spain and the United Arab Emirates. Our results indicate that the camel ciliate is not B. coli, nor is it B. sulcata, but is a different species that should be placed in the same genus as the latter. Thus, camels are not a reservoir for human balantidiasis. Although the correct genus name would be Infundibulorium according to the principle of priority, this would lead to confusion since this name has almost fallen into disuse since its initial description, but Buxtonella is almost universally used by researchers and veterinarians for the cattle ciliate. We therefore propose to apply the reversal of precedence and use Buxtonella as the valid genus name. Consequently, we propose Buxtonella cameli n.comb. as the name for the camel ciliate.
Topics: Cattle; Animals; Humans; Camelus; Balantidiasis; Zoonoses; Asia; Africa; Cattle Diseases
PubMed: 37494847
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2023.109984