A 28-year-old man was hospitalized for a dysenteric syndrome that had developed during the previous days. Physical examination revealed abdominal pains, fever, vomiting and more than ten liquid stools per day. Fresh stool examination showed numerous mobile ciliated trophozoites of Balantidium coli. The patient reported having been on a hike the previous weekend during which he had drunk water t...

Handling, storage, treatment and use of different forms of animals excrements entails two principle problems: epizootological or epidemiological and hygienical. Solid excrements contain high numbers of common intestinal microflora (E. coli, faecal streptococci, lactobacilli etc.), bacteria that are pathogenic also for man (salmonellae, mycobacteria, listeriae etc.), protozoa (Isospora spp., Bal...

Balantidiasis is considered a neglected zoonotic disease with pigs serving as reservoir hosts. However, Balantidium coli has been recorded in many other mammalian species, including primates. Here, we evaluated the genetic diversity of B. coli in non-human primates using two gene markers (SSrDNA and ITS1-5.8SDNA-ITS2). We analyzed 49 isolates of ciliates from fecal samples originating from 11 s...

Introducción. Existen más de ochenta especies del género Balantidium, tanto en vertebrados como invertebrados, las cuales solo Balantidium coli infecta al humano. Metodología. Se examinó la muestra heces (líquida) una paciente etnia warao, habitante población selvática Nabasanuka, noreste Venezuela, el bajo delta río Orinoco, LN 09°08’11,9” y LO 061°03’31,2”, analizándola a través técnica direc...

Balantidium coli is a common protozoan disease of animals. A total of 151 buffaloes were examined through faecal examination, of which 68 (45.03%) found to be infected with B. coli infection. Prevalence of B. coli infection was relatively higher in adult buffaloes (49.52%) aged > 5 years than young (39.29%) aged > 2≤ 5 years and buffalo calves (27.78%) aged ≤ 2 years. Higher prevalence of B. co...

Balantidiasis is a rare zoonotic disease in humans. Balantidium coli is the causative ciliated protozoan. We present a case of urinary balantidiasis in a patient having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who was on steroids for a long time. He has no symptoms of bowel or urinary involvement. We are reporting this case because of its rarity in human urine and also for future references.