Abstract
The human gut microbiota is a diverse and complex ecosystem that is involved in beneficial physiological functions as well as disease pathogenesis. Blastocystis is a common protistan parasite and is increasingly recognized as an important component of the gut microbiota. The correlations between Blastocystis and other communities of intestinal microbiota have been investigated, and, to a lesser extent, the role of this parasite in maintaining the host immunological homeostasis. Despite recent studies suggesting that Blastocystis decreases the abundance of beneficial bacteria, most reports indicate that Blastocystis is a common component of the healthy gut microbiome. This review covers recent finding on the potential interactions between Blastocystis and the gut microbiota communities and its roles in regulating host immune responses.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Review
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Bacteria / immunology*
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Bacteria / isolation & purification
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Blastocystis / immunology*
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Blastocystis Infections / immunology*
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Blastocystis Infections / parasitology
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Gastrointestinal Microbiome / immunology*
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Gastrointestinal Tract / immunology*
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Gastrointestinal Tract / microbiology
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Gastrointestinal Tract / parasitology
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Homeostasis
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Humans
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Microbiota*
Grants and funding
This work was supported by a generous MOE grant to KSWT (R-571-000-037-114) and a faculty seed grant to NRG and LW (R-571-000-061-114). LD was a recipient of the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarship with research supported by the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Foundation (CPF2017–12). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.