SynthesisActa parasitologica2025
A Systematic Review about the Efficacy of Antiparasitic Agents in the Treatment of Blastocystis Species.
Synthesis in Acta parasitologica, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
purposeBlastocystis spp. is the most commonly identified protozoan in humans, yet its clinical significance and pathogenicity remain controversial. While often asymptomatic, it has been associated with gastrointestinal symptoms and urticaria. Metronidazole is the most frequently used first-line treatment; however, increasing reports of resistance and treatment failure have led to growing interest in alternative therapeutic options.
methodsIn this systematic review, we searched the Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases using relevant keywords in article titles to identify studies related to the treatment of Blastocystis spp.
resultsA total of 195 records were retrieved. After removing duplicates and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 39 studies were deemed eligible. Data extracted included author, publication year, country, number of participants or samples, diagnostic method, subtype, treatment agent, dosage, intervention details, and clinical and parasitological outcomes. Of the included studies, 17 were human studies (14 clinical trials and 3 case reports), and 22 were in vitro or animal studies.
conclusionOur findings suggest that metronidazole may be inappropriate as a first-line treatment, as it can increase the number of viable parasites and promote their transformation into apoptosis-resistant granular or more pathogenic amoeboid forms. Alternative agents-such as ronidazole, satranidazole, and C17 (2-position 5-nitroimidazoles), as well as ornidazole, secnidazole, and tinidazole (1-position 5-nitroimidazoles with different side chains compared with metronidazole)-show potential efficacy. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and nitazoxanide have also demonstrated promising results. Further studies, particularly subtype-specific and human clinical trials, are needed to assess the safety and efficacy of these alternative agents against Blastocystis spp.
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