Rajah S, Suresh K, Vennila GD, Khairul Anuar A, Saminathan R
Department of Parasitology, Medical Faculty, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur
CITATION: Rajah S, Suresh K, Vennila GD, Khairul Anuar A, Saminathan R. Small forms of Blastocystis hominis. International Medical Research Journal. 1997 Dec;1(2):93–6.
ABSTRACT
Unusually small forms of Blastocystis hominis were found in the stools of Indonesian immigrants. The size of the parasites seen in faecal samples of the lndonesian isolates were 3-5 μm whereas larger vacuolar forms measuring 10-15 μm were seen in Malaysian and Bangladeshi isolates. These small forms showed a distinct growth profile with an optimum parasite yield as high as 11.7 x 105 when cultured in Jones' medium compared to yields of 3.9 x 105 and 0.5 x 105 for Malaysian and Bangladeshi isolates respectively. The unusually small forms of Blastocystis, unlike the other isolates, was found to grow in cultures at 37°C even after being kept at room temperature for as long as 9 days.
KEYWORDS: Blastocystis hominis, small forms, immigrant, morphology, growth profile
