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Published in Anton Sebastian, A Dictionary of the History of Medicine, 2018
Balantidium coli A protozoan parasite in the large intestine. Described by Swedish physician, Pehr Henrick Malmsten (1811–1883) in 1857. Fritz Schaudinn (1871–1906) from Germany described several other species belonging to the genus in 1899.
The Protozoa
Published in Donald L. Price, Procedure Manual for the Diagnosis of Intestinal Parasites, 2017
Apparently, Balantidium coli, the only intestinal ciliate, typically infects hogs, but rats and monkeys may become accidental hosts. Although not scientifically established, anecdotal information suggests that the pig is the reservoir of the infection for man and primates. Man appears to be naturally resistant to infection with Balantidium coli, but under certain conditions, such as undernourishment, poor diet, or the presence of other diseases, man may become infected. It follows that the people who are at greatest risk are those who are in lower economic groups, inmates of asylums, and prisoners who are in some way associated with either pigs or pig handlers. Diagnosis is made by finding trophozoites or cysts in fecal specimens.
Balantidium coli
Published in Dongyou Liu, Handbook of Foodborne Diseases, 2018
Alynne da Silva Barbosa, Laís Verdan Dib, Claudia M. Antunes Uchôa
Balantidium coli is an intestinal protozoan that has been extremely neglected in relation to both human and veterinary medicine. Although the parasite is still very well known in the scientific academy as Balantidium coli, currently, with advances in laboratory techniques of molecular biology, it has been proposed to change the name of the species Balantidium coli to Balantioides coli. Through molecular analyses, it was observed that the species Balantidium coli was grouped in a position that was phylogenetically distinct from Balantidium entozoon, the species that was the first to be described taxonomically. This demonstrated that Balantidium coli should therefore belong to another genus, and for this reason it was suggested that its name should be changed Balantioides coli nomenclature that had already been attributed by Alexeieff in 1931. While pigs are considered by many authors as the main reservoirs of the parasitosis, high frequencies of balantidiasis have also been observed among nonhuman primates. Although balantidiasis is usually only diagnosed in humans in isolated clinical cases, this protozoan shows heightened presence in developing countries and in places with a tropical or subtropical climate. Humans can become ill from the parasite, mainly presenting diarrhea or even dysentery. The pathogenesis and symptoms of balantidiasis among pigs and nonhuman primates remain unclear and have only sporadically been reported in clinical cases within veterinary medicine. Further studies need to be carried out using B. coli strains isolated in vitro from different hosts, to better understand the biology, pathogenesis, and epidemiology of this protozoan, especially its zoonotic transmissibility profile.
Systematic review with meta-analyses: does the pathogen matter in post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome?
Published in Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 2019
Anna Tølbøll Svendsen, Peter Bytzer, Anne Line Engsbro
We need high-quality studies on different pathogens with a potential of eliciting PI-IBS including both exposed an unexposed subject aiming at identifying risk factors relevant for prevention and management and describing PI-IBS in both children and adults. For some AGE-causing pathogens no or very little knowledge on PI-IBS exists, e.g. for Yersinia enterocolitica and other diarrheagenic E. colis, and these should be included. Other protozoal infections, such as Cryptosporidium hominis elicit post-infectious abdominal symptoms [62], and may also elicit PI-IBS. One registry-based study suggests that the protozo Balantidium coli is associated to IBS, while worm infections were not [63]. Characterization of the pathogens on subspecies level, i.e., on phenotypic and molecular level, may identify factors of importance for eliciting PI-IBS and in general help understand the pathogenesis better. Thus, collection of the pathogens should be considered in future studies.
Culiseta annulata – just a biting nuisance or a deadly foe?
Published in Pathogens and Global Health, 2018
HPV is associated with cervical, anogenital, head and neck cancers and has been found in mosquitoes [21]; hepatitis C is associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and cancers of the liver (found in mosquitoes by Chang et al. [22]); HTLV-1 is linked with adult T-cell leukaemia and lymphoma, and Clonorchis sinensis with cholangiocarcinoma and infections in the gallbladder and pancreas. Mycoplasmas have been associated with gastric carcinomas, oesophageal, lung, and breast cancers [23] and linked directly to mosquitoes [24]. Molluscum contagiosum has been linked with lung cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia [25] and with mosquitoes [21]. Balantidium coli has been linked in case studies with a leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma and anal cancer [26–28]. Besides, Streptococcus has been found associated with gastric cancer cells [29]. This is an extensive list of cancers, covering numerous parts of the anatomy and all may be initiated by a bite from C. annulata.
The impact of water crises and climate changes on the transmission of protozoan parasites in Africa
Published in Pathogens and Global Health, 2018
Shahira A. Ahmed, Milena Guerrero Flórez, Panagiotis Karanis
Waterborne protozoa (WBP) are a group of parasites that cause diarrheal diseases. Diversity of WBP can be found in water. Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis (intestinalis) took the lead among other protozoan parasites to account the majority of waterborne outbreaks (524, 344 outbreaks respectively) [10–12]. Whereas Acanthamoeba spp., Balantidium coli, Blastocystis spp., Cyclospora cayetanensis, Cystoisospora belli, Microsporidium spp., Naegleria spp., Sarcocystis spp., and Toxoplasma gondii are less reported parasites [10–12].