Blastocystis hominis, a long-misunderstood intestinal parasite.
For over 50 years, Blastocystis hominis has been held to be a harmless intestinal yeast-probably frequent in stool samples from man and other primates, but usually ignored except as a possible source of confusion with Entamoeba histolytica. More recently, its status as a protozoan parasite has been accepted, and it is now increasingly recognized as an agent of intestinal disease - usually self-limiting but occasionally fatal in monkeys. Here, Charles Zierdt reviews the status o f this intriguing protozoan, drawing attention to its unusual biochemistry.
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Charles Zierdt is at the Department of Clinical Pathology, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.