Diagnosis and subtype analysis of Blastocystis sp. in 442 patients in a hospital setting in the Netherlands

Background: Blastocystis sp. are among the most commonly observed intestinal parasites in routine clinical parasitology. Blastocystis in humans consists of at least 9 genetic subtypes. Different subtypes of Blastocystis may be associated with differences in pathogenicity and symptomatology.Methods: Advanced microscopy on two samples and sequence-confirmed PCR on a third sample from the same individual were used for Blastocystis diagnosis and subtype analyses on routine clinical samples in a university hospital.Results: With a combined gold standard of sequence-confirmed PCR and positive advanc... Mehr ...