Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2010 Nov 18;5(11):e15484.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015484.

Comparison of methods for detection of Blastocystis infection in routinely submitted stool samples, and also in IBS/IBD Patients in Ankara, Turkey

Funda Dogruman-Al  1 , Zahide Simsek, Kenneth Boorom, Eyup Ekici, Memduh Sahin, Candan Tuncer, Semra Kustimur, Akif Altinbas
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of methods for detection of Blastocystis infection in routinely submitted stool samples, and also in IBS/IBD Patients in Ankara, Turkey

Funda Dogruman-Al et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: This study compared diagnostic methods for identifying Blastocystis in stool samples, and evaluated the frequency of detection of Blastocystis in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Results and discussion: From a set of 105 stool specimens submitted for routine parasitological analysis, 30 were identified as positive for Blastocystis by the culture method. From that group of 30 positives, Lugol's stain, trichrome staining, and an immunofluorescence assay identified 11, 15, and 26 samples as positive respectively. Using culture as a standard, the sensitivity of Lugol's stain was 36.7%, trichrome staining was 50%, and the IFA stain was 86.7%. The specificity of Lugol's stain was 91%, trichrome staining was 100%, and the IFA stain was 97.3%. In the group of 27 IBS and IBD patients, using all methods combined, we detected Blastocystis in 67% (18/27) of the patients. Blastocystis was detected in 33% (2/6) of IBD patients and 76% (16/21) of IBS patients. For comparison, trichrome staining alone, the method most frequently used in many countries, would have only identified Blastocystis infection in 29% (6/21) of the IBS patients. No parasitic co-infections were identified in the IBS/IBD patients. Most Blastocystis-positive IBS/IBD patients were over 36 with an average length of illness of 4.9 years.

Conclusions: Most IBS patients in this study were infected with Blastocystis. IFA staining may be a useful alternative to stool culture, especially if stool specimens have been chemically preserved.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Stool sample stained with IFA stain, comparing bright field (left) and fluorescence microscope view (right) showing Blastocystis.
High resolution photomicrographs courtesy of Antibodies Inc.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Dogruman Al F, Adisen E, Kustimur S, Gurer MA. The role of protozoan parasites in etiology of urticaria. Turkiye Parazitol Derg. 2009;33:136–139. - PubMed
    1. Amin O. Epidemiology of Blastocystis hominis in the United States. Research Journal of Parasitology. 2005;2006:1–10.
    1. Yakoob J, Jafri W, Jafri N, Khan R, Islam M, et al. Irritable bowel syndrome: in search of an etiology: role of Blastocystis hominis. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2004;70:383–385. - PubMed
    1. Windsor JJ. B. hominis and D. fragilis: Neglected human protozoa. The Biomedical Scientist. July 2007:524–527.
    1. Yakoob J, Jafri W, Beg MA, Abbas Z, Naz S, et al. Irritable bowel syndrome: is it associated with genotypes of Blastocystis hominis. Parasitol Res. 2010;106:1033–1038. - PubMed

Publication types