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Blastocystis subtypes differ across 28 sequenced bowel-study samples

A single peer-reviewed case–control study in western Iran found different Blastocystis subtype patterns in people with and without irritable bowel syndrome. Only 28 of 80 positive samples yielded usable sequences, with 14 in each group. ST3 predominated in the sequenced syndrome group. The preliminary comparison describes that small subset and cannot establish that the organism or subtype underlies bowel symptoms.

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A researcher in a teal head covering and white coat inspects a closed sample tube at a laboratory bench with a tube rack and sequencing instrument.

Only 28 samples yield usable subtype sequences

Blastocystis is a single-celled organism that can occur in the human gut. Somayeh Sharifi's team investigated its subtypes in Hamadan Province, in western Iran. Their single peer-reviewed case–control study began with eighty positive stool samples: forty from people with irritable bowel syndrome and forty from people without it. Microscopy and culture preceded the genetic work. The paper appeared in an early accepted version.[1]

Polymerase chain reaction, a method that amplifies a selected genetic region, targeted the small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene. Twenty-eight samples provided sequences suitable for assigning subtypes, fourteen from each group. The subtype results therefore cover a substantially smaller set than the original collection.[1]

ST3 predominates in the sequenced syndrome group

The usable sequences belonged to three subtypes: ST1, ST2 and ST3. Among the fourteen syndrome samples, ST3 appeared twelve times, or 85.7 per cent. ST1 appeared twice, or 14.3 per cent. In the comparison group, ST1 accounted for 71.4 per cent, with ten samples. ST2 accounted for 28.6 per cent, with four samples. Those percentages describe the sequenced subset; they are not population estimates or results for all eighty positive samples.[1]

Immune and microbiota mechanisms remain unexplored

Immune responses and interactions with other gut microbes were outside the measurements. The small observational comparison leaves the biological relationship unresolved. The sequences are available in GenBank, a public database of genetic sequences. To examine the preliminary distribution further, the authors propose a prospective study combining subtype identification, immune profiling and microbiota analysis.[1]

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References

  1. News sourceScientific ReportsSmall Iranian sample compares Blastocystis subtypes with bowel symptoms
    Primary paperScientific ReportsPreliminary molecular characterization of Blastocystis sp. subtypes among IBS patients and non-IBS individuals in Hamadan Province, western Iran
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