ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2014
Intra-subtype variation in enteroadhesion accounts for differences in epithelial barrier disruption and is associated with metronidazole resistance in Blastocystis subtype-7.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
55 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 95 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Systematic Review about the Efficacy of Antiparasitic Agents in the Treatment of Blastocystis Species.Acta parasitologica · 2025Pooled it
- Molecular Detection ofVeterinary sciences · 2026Article
- Antiparasitic activity and molecular docking of canthin-6-one derivatives from LED- modulated Eurycoma longifolia roots against Blastocystis ST3 and ST7.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Commensal, pathogen, or passenger? Rethinking the role ofOne health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2025Review
- Assessment of the Therapeutic Role of Allium tuncelianum Extract in Rats Infected with Blastocystis Subtype 3.Acta parasitologica · 2025Article
- Extracellular vesicles in intestinal protozoa: hidden mediators of host-parasite communication.Gut pathogens · 2025Review
- Decoding Blastocystis-Driven Mechanisms in Gut Microbiota and Host Metabolism.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- The Role ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
- The influence of plant extracts on viability of ST3 and ST7 subtypes of Blastocystis sp.Gut pathogens · 2024Article
- Green synthesis of silver and iron oxide nanoparticles mediated photothermal effects on Blastocystis hominis.Lasers in medical science · 2024Article
- Interactions between Balantidium ctenopharyngodoni and microbiota reveal its low pathogenicity in the hindgut of grass carp.BMC microbiology · 2024Article
- Prevalence and subtypes ofFrontiers in veterinary science · 2024Article
- Extracellular Cysteine Proteases of Key Intestinal Protozoan Pathogens-Factors Linked to Virulence and Pathogenicity.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Epidemiology ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Lipid Accumulation inMicroorganisms · 2023Article
- Extensive prevalence and significant genetic differentiation of Blastocystis in high- and low-altitude populations of wild rhesus macaques in China.Parasites & vectors · 2023Article
- Levels of Genetic Variants Among Symptomatic Blastocystis Subtypes and their Relationship to Mucosal Immune Surveillance in the Precancerous Colons of Experimentally Infected Rats.Acta parasitologica · 2023Article
- Colonization with two differentTheranostics · 2023Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Blastocystis is an extracellular, enteric pathogen that induces intestinal disorders in a range of hosts including humans. Recent studies have identified potential parasite virulence factors in and host responses to this parasite; however, little is known about Blastocystis-host attachment, which is crucial for colonization and virulence of luminal stages. By utilizing 7 different strains of the parasite belonging to two clinically relevant subtypes ST-4 and ST-7, we investigated Blastocystis-enterocyte adhesion and its association with parasite-induced epithelial barrier disruption. We also suggest that drug resistance in ST-7 strains might result in fitness cost that manifested as impairment of parasite adhesion and, consequently, virulence. ST-7 parasites were generally highly adhesive to Caco-2 cells and preferred binding to intercellular junctions. These strains also induced disruption of ZO-1 and occludin tight junction proteins as well as increased dextran-FITC flux across epithelial monolayers. Interestingly, their adhesion was correlated with metronidazole (Mz) susceptibility. Mz resistant (Mzr) strains were found to be less pathogenic, owing to compromised adhesion. Moreover, tolerance of nitrosative stress was also reduced in the Mzr strains. In conclusion, the findings indicate that Blastocystis attaches to intestinal epithelium and leads to epithelial barrier dysfunction and that drug resistance might entail a fitness cost in parasite virulence by limiting entero-adhesiveness. This is the first study of the cellular basis for strain-to-strain variation in parasite pathogenicity. Intra- and inter-subtype variability in cytopathogenicity provides a possible explanation for the diverse clinical outcomes of Blastocystis infections.
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