Ali Taghipour1, Ehsan Javanmard2, Hamed Mirjalali3, Ali Haghighi4, Payam Tabarsi5, Mohamad Reza Sohrabi6, Mohammad Reza Zali7. 1. Student Research Committee, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. 2. Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 3. Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: hamed_mirjalali@hotmail.com. 4. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: ahaghighi110@yahoo.com. 5. Department of Infectious Diseases, Mycobacteriology Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 6. Social determinants of Health Research Center and Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 7. Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Blastocystis and tuberculosis are two public health issues that are frequently reported in regions with low level of hygiene. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate Blastocystis subtype and allele distribution in TB patients. METHODS: Totally, 161 stool samples were taken from TB patients who were undergoing anti-MTB treatment. Stool samples were concentrated using conventional formalin-ether technique and examined using Lugol's iodine staining under light microscopy. DNA extraction was carried out and discriminative fragment was amplified and sequenced. With comparison in GenBank database, relevant subtypes and alleles were characterized and phylogenetically analyzed using MEGA v.7 and Tamura 3-parameter model. RESULTS: In total, from 161 stool samples, 19 samples were suspected to be Blastocystis-positive. The expected fragment was amplified in 13 (8.07%) of samples. Accordingly, 11/13 (84.62%) of Blastocystis cases settled in urban and 2/13 (15.38%) were villagers. Close-contact with animals was also seen among 7/13 (53.84%) of samples. Subtype 1 (7/13; 53.84%) was the most prevalent followed by subtype 2 (5/13; 38.46%) and subtype 3 (1/13, 7.69%). All ST1 were allele 4, while alleles 9, 11 and 12 were seen in ST2 and allele 34 was the only allele observed in ST3. All three subtypes were clearly separated, while there was no separation between sequences from TB and non-TB patients. CONCLUSION: Blastocystis ST1 was the most prevalent subtype in TB patients and there was no difference between Blastocystis isolates from TB and non-TB human subjects.
BACKGROUND:Blastocystis and tuberculosis are two public health issues that are frequently reported in regions with low level of hygiene. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate Blastocystis subtype and allele distribution in TBpatients. METHODS: Totally, 161 stool samples were taken from TBpatients who were undergoing anti-MTB treatment. Stool samples were concentrated using conventional formalin-ether technique and examined using Lugol's iodine staining under light microscopy. DNA extraction was carried out and discriminative fragment was amplified and sequenced. With comparison in GenBank database, relevant subtypes and alleles were characterized and phylogenetically analyzed using MEGA v.7 and Tamura 3-parameter model. RESULTS: In total, from 161 stool samples, 19 samples were suspected to be Blastocystis-positive. The expected fragment was amplified in 13 (8.07%) of samples. Accordingly, 11/13 (84.62%) of Blastocystis cases settled in urban and 2/13 (15.38%) were villagers. Close-contact with animals was also seen among 7/13 (53.84%) of samples. Subtype 1 (7/13; 53.84%) was the most prevalent followed by subtype 2 (5/13; 38.46%) and subtype 3 (1/13, 7.69%). All ST1 were allele 4, while alleles 9, 11 and 12 were seen in ST2 and allele 34 was the only allele observed in ST3. All three subtypes were clearly separated, while there was no separation between sequences from TB and non-TBpatients. CONCLUSION:Blastocystis ST1 was the most prevalent subtype in TBpatients and there was no difference between Blastocystis isolates from TB and non-TBhuman subjects.