Work over the past sixteen years has reclassified Blastocystis hominis as a protozoan, removing it from the yeasts where it has languished for seventy years. B. hominis is now firmly established as a member of the Sporozoa, an intestinal parasite and pathogen of man and primates. When B. hominis is present in large numbers in stool contents, marked diarrhea is usually experienced. The drug of choice is metronidazole. Patients with severe infection have been treated at the Clinical Center. There was one fatal case. This protozoan is now a subject of national and international interest to parasitologists and physicians as a course of diarrhea in man. Treatment is usually with metronidazole. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is also used successfully. Progress has been slow on research into B. hominis mitochrondria, but we at last have sufficient data for publication. We receive calls from around the United States a number of times each week, to present problems in diagnosis and treatment of blastocystis.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Clinical Center (CLC)
Type
Intramural Research (Z01)
Project #
1Z01CL010009-11
Application #
4692025
Study Section
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
11
Fiscal Year
1985
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Clinical Center
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
State
Country
United States
Zip Code