Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021 Aug 18;15(8):e0009684. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009684. eCollection 2021 Aug.
Blastocystis spp. (Blastocystis) is a widely distributed gastrointestinal protist frequently reported in countries with tropical and sub-tropical climate. We sought to determine the factors associated with Blastocystis infection and investigate its role on biomarkers of intestinal health among slum-dwelling malnourished adults in Bangladesh.
Total 524 malnourished adults with a body mass index ≤18.5 kg/m2 were included in this analysis. Presence of Blastocystis in feces was evaluated by TaqMan Array Card assays.
Blastocystis was tested positive in 78.6% of the participants. Prevalence of infection with atypical strains of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (aEPEC) (56% vs. 38%, p<0.001), and Trichuris trichiura (28% vs. 15%, p-value = 0.02) was significantly greater in adults with Blastocystis, while Giardia intestinalis was significantly lower (8% vs. 14%, p-value = 0.04) in Blastocystis positive adults. Malnourished adults who were living in households with high crowding index (aOR = 2.18; 95% CI = 1.11, 4.65; p-value = 0.03), and infected with aEPEC (aOR = 2.14; 95% CI = 1.35, 3.44; p-value = 0.001) and Trichuris trichiura (aOR = 1.97; 95% CI = 1.08, 3.77; p = 0.03) were more likely to be infected with Blastocystis. A significant negative relationship was observed between Blastocystis and fecal concentrations of alpha-1 antitrypsin (β = -0.1; 95% CI = -1.7, -0.1; p-value<0.001) and Reg1B (β = -3.6; 95% CI = -6.9, -3.0; p-value = 0.03).
The study findings suggest that the presence of Blastocystis in human intestine influences gut health and may have potential pathogenic role in presence of other pathogens.
芽囊原虫属（Blastocystis）是一种广泛分布的胃肠道原生动物，常报道于热带和亚热带气候的国家。我们旨在确定与芽囊原虫感染相关的因素，并研究其在孟加拉国贫民窟营养不良成年人的肠道健康生物标志物中的作用。
本分析共纳入 524 名营养不良成年人，体重指数（BMI）≤18.5kg/m2。通过 TaqMan 微阵列卡检测粪便中芽囊原虫的存在。
78.6%的参与者检测出芽囊原虫阳性。感染非典型肠致病性大肠杆菌（aEPEC）（56%比 38%，p<0.001）和鞭虫（28%比 15%，p 值=0.02）的成年人中，芽囊原虫感染的患病率显著更高，而肠道内的贾第虫则显著更低（8%比 14%，p 值=0.04）。居住在高拥挤指数家庭（优势比[OR] = 2.18；95%置信区间[CI] = 1.11，4.65；p 值=0.03）的营养不良成年人，以及感染 aEPEC（OR = 2.14；95% CI = 1.35，3.44；p 值=0.001）和鞭虫（OR = 1.97；95% CI = 1.08，3.77；p = 0.03）的成年人更有可能感染芽囊原虫。芽囊原虫与粪便中α-1 抗胰蛋白酶（β=-0.1；95% CI=-1.7，-0.1；p 值<0.001）和 Reg1B（β=-3.6；95% CI=-6.9，-3.0；p 值=0.03）的粪便浓度呈显著负相关。
研究结果表明，芽囊原虫在人类肠道中的存在会影响肠道健康，并可能在存在其他病原体时具有潜在的致病作用。
