Blastocystis: Pathogen or Passenger?: An Evaluation of 101 Years of Research [Hardcover]

The stages of Blastocystis have been known for 101 years. However, many facts are still disputed, e.g. even the question whether it is a true pathogen or a commensal present in sometimes life-threatening diarrheas.

The present book evaluates in chapters contributed by renowned researchers the latest findings on:

Landmarks in the discovery of Blastocystis

Epidemiology, transmission and zoonotic potential

Morphology of human and animal Blastocystis isolates

Clinical aspects of Blastocystis infections

Behavioral decision analysis: what makes us sick?

Blastocystis-host interactions

Molecular approaches on the systematical position

Genetic polymorphism

Blastocystis from a statistical point of view

Diarrheas due to different agents of disease

Zoonotic diseases in comparison

As such, this book provides a broad range of information for people working in this field, for physicians and veterinarians who are confronted with clinical cases, teachers, students and technical staff members in the fields of microbiology, parasitology and diagnostic methods.

This volume summarizes what we know about blastocystis, the enigmatic organism whose pathogenesis we have recognized for a century but whose mechanisms remain mysterious to this day. It examines everything from its epidemiology to its varied clinical aspects.

Landmarks in the discovery of Blastocystis stages.- Morphology of human and animal Blastocystis isolates with special references to reproductive modes.- Epidemiology, transmission and zoonotic potential of Blastocystis stages in humans and animals.- Blastocystis  Host interactions: insights from in-vitro model systems.- Cl³B