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Balantidium (= Neobalantidium) (= Balantioides) coli, a large ciliated protozoan, is the only ciliate known to be capable of infecting humans. It is often associated with swine, the primary reservoir host. Recent molecular analyses have suggested the need for taxonomic revision, and it is now sometimes referred to as Neobalantidium coli or ...
Balantidium coli lives in the cecum and colon of humans, pigs, rats, and other mammals. It is not readily transmissible from one species of host to another because it requires a period of time to adjust to the symbiotic flora of the new host. Once it has adapted to a host species, the protozoan can become a serious pathogen, especially in humans.
- B. coli
- Balantidiidae
Balantidium coli exists in either of two developmental stages: trophozoites and cysts. In the trophozoite form, they can be oblong or spherical, and are typically 30 to 150 μm in length and 25 to 120 μm in width. It is its size at this stage that allows Balantidium coli to be characterized as the largest protozoan parasite of humans.
Nov 29, 2013 · Laboratory Diagnosis. Diagnosis is based on detection of trophozoites in stool specimens or in tissue collected during endoscopy. Cysts are less frequently encountered. Balantidium coli is passed intermittently and once outside the colon is rapidly destroyed. Thus stool specimens should be collected repeatedly, and immediately examined or ...
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Is Balantidium coli a trophozoite or cyst?
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Aug 25, 2023 · Presentation. Balantidium mostly causes asymptomatic and self-limiting infections. Clinical presentations of balantidiasis range from mild to severe symptoms. Asymptomatic hosts serve as reservoirs of infection in the community. Individuals with chronic infection usually present with diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and halitosis. [ 16, 17]
Jan 5, 2022 · The ciliate Balantioides coli (syn. Balantidium coli) is the largest human parasitic protozoa, and can infect a wide range of hosts, with swine being the main reservoir. The parasite has a direct life cycle, with a vegetative form, the trophozoite, inhabiting the host intestine, and a resting cyst that is released into the environment in faeces.
