Blastocystis spp.: Frequency and Subtype Distribution in Iron Deficiency Anemic Versus Non-Anemic Subjects from Egypt

• Published in: The Journal of parasitology Vol. 99; no. 4; pp. 599 - 602
• Main Authors: El Deeb, Hala K, Khodeer, Seham
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society of Parasitologists 01.08.2013; Allen Press Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Anemia; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - parasitology; Antibiotics; Blastocystis; Blastocystis - classification; Blastocystis - genetics; Blastocystis - isolation & purification; Blastocystis Infections - complications; Blastocystis Infections - epidemiology; Case-Control Studies; Chronic diseases; Chronic illnesses; Disease; Egypt; Egypt - epidemiology; feces; Feces - parasitology; Female; Genotype; Genotype & phenotype; Genotypes; Hematology; Hospitals; Humans; IMMUNOLOGY; Industrialized nations; Infections; Iron; Iron deficiency anemia; Male; Middle Aged; nutrient deficiencies; Nutrient deficiency; Parasites; Parasitology; Polymerase chain reaction; Prevalence; protozoal infections; Questionnaires; Risk Factors; sampling; Sex Distribution; Specimens; Statistical significance; Surveys and Questionnaires; Symptoms; Young Adult; Egypt
• ISSN: 0022-3395; 1937-2345; 1937-2345
• DOI: 10.1645/12-80.1

Many helminthic and protozoal infections have been implicated in iron deficiency anemia (IDA) but few reports have suggested a link between Blastocystis sp. infection and IDA. Herein, we investigated the frequency and the association of the Blastocystis sp. genotype with IDA. Two-hundred and six stool samples were examined for Blastocystis sp. Samples were obtained from 96 cases with a confirmed diagnosis of IDA and 110 matched non-anemic controls. The prevalence of the parasite was significantly higher in the IDA group (54.2%) when compared to controls (17.3%) and was 34.5% in all study subjects. Thus, a relationship between Blastocystis sp. infection and IDA was confirmed. PCR amplification of isolates from cases with IDA and controls using subtype-specific sequenced-tagged site primers found that subtype 3 was the most common (83.3%), followed by subtype 1 (16.7%), and both had similar prevalence in both groups. Therefore, there was no correlation found between the Blastocystis sp. genotype and the occurrence of IDA.