Blastocystis hominisis a common parasite implicated in a variety of intestinal problems. Oral-faecal route of transmission has been postulated but the cystic phase which is presumably the infective stage of the parasite, has only recently been described using electron microscope. However, little information is available on the light microscopic morphology of the cyst. There are two possible rea...

The colorless amoeboid eukaryote genus Leukarachnion represents one of a long list of microbial lineages for which there have been few taxonomic studies. In this study, we analyze molecular data to assess the placement of a species of Leukarachnion on the eukaryotic tree of life and we report fine structural data to provide additional information on the identity of this taxon. Our multigene ana...

abstract hydatid disease is caused by echinococcus spp. especially echinococcus granulosus that is the most common cause of hydatid disease in humans. this disease occurs either through direct contact with infected dogs or indirectly from the ingestion of contaminated water or food with eggs of worms. the most common site in human is the liver (59-75%), followed in frequency by lung (27%), kidn...

BACKGROUND Microfilaments play a determinant role in different cell processes such as: motility, cell division, phagocytosis and intracellular transport; however, these structures are poorly understood in the parasite Giardia lamblia. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS By confocal microscopy using TRITC-phalloidin, we found structured actin distributed in the entire trophozoite, the label sta...

Cyst nematodes are sedentary plant parasites that cause dramatic cellular changes in the plant root to form feeding cells, so-called syncytia. 10A06 is a cyst nematode secretory protein that is most likely secreted as an effector into the developing syncytia during early plant parasitism. A homolog of the uncharacterized soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines), 10A06 gene was cloned from th...

The identification and quantification of Heterosigma akashiwo cysts in sediments by light microscopy can be difficult due to the small size and morphology of the cysts, which are often indistinguishable from those of other types of algae. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) based assays represent a potentially efficient method for quantifying the abundance of H. akashiwo cysts, although standard ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE CSF circulation has been reported to represent a major factor in the pathophysiology of syringomyelia. Our purpose was to determine the CSF flow patterns in spinal cord cysts and in the subararachnoid space in patients with syringomyelia associated with Chiari I malformation and to evaluate the modifications of the flow resulting from surgery. METHODS Eighteen patients ...

We present a case of a 38-year–old Turkish patient with a previously diagnosed cardiac hydatidosis, which is a parasitic infection most commonly induced by Echinococcus granulosus and with only rare cardiac involvement (0.5%– 2.0%). In 1998, the patient survived a cardiogenic shock caused by the rupture of 1 hydatic cyst and concomitant cardiac tamponade. Postsurgery, the patient was treated ph...

Soils provide plants with a medium in which roots can anchor themselves and support their canopies, and from which they can tap reserves of water and nutrients. To supply adequate space, water and nutrients, a good soil should be deep, permeable, porous, with good water and nutrient retention capacity and rich in a balanced amount of minerals and organic compounds. Most soils do not have these ...