European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Background: One of the common gastro-intestinal parasites worldwide is Blastocystis. Diverse
subtypes are employed to detect this microscopic parasite but there is not enough information on
the issue if these su-btypes may exhibit diverse clinical symptoms or not. This research aimed at
the evaluation of the clinical symptoms of the disease like itching and gastro-intestinal symptoms
in various subtypes as well as in Blastocystis co-infection with other parasites.
Methods: We extracted DNA from the fecal specimens of the cases that had been referred to the
Center for Tropical Diseases in Verona-Italy. Moreover, real-time PCR (RT PCR) was employed
to identify the available parasitic infections and nested PCR to detect the subtypes. Then, SPSS
was used to analyze data.
Results: Any significant relationship did not exist between the subtypes and clinical symptoms. In
addition, co-infection did not significantly related to the disease symptoms and a number of
parasites. The small statistical population may influence such results.
Conclusion: Further investigations must be conducted for determining the effects of Blastocystis
sub-types and their co-infection on the disease symptoms.