Jiří Lom, Institute of Parasitology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Published online: May 2001
DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0001946
Balantidiosis is a disease manifested by diarrhoea and due to the ciliate Balantidium coli. Humans can contract it under poor hygienic conditions. The main source of infection is pigs, in which the ciliate is a common endocommensal.
Keywords: Balantidium coli; life cycle; host–parasite relationship; balantidiosis; treatment
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Figure 1. (a), (d) and (e) Permanent, stained preparations of Balantidium coli; (b) and (c) living ciliates. (a) An individual stained with haematoxylin; at the top, the oral groove, below it the macronucleus and at the bottom, one of the two contractile vacuoles; ×590. (b) A dividing individual, showing the constriction furrow; ×410.(c) A pair of conjugants adhering to each other by their oral areas; ×590. (d) A cyst with distinct cyst wall; ×330. (e) A section showing balantidia in an abscess in the intestine of guinea-pig; bottom left, denuded muscular layer of the intestine; ×170. (b) to (e), unpublished photographs of Dr V. Zaman.
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| References | |
| Iglezias SD (1980) Exarbacao de balantidiase e estrongiloidiase en paciente com penfigo, foliaceo sul Americano na vigiencia de corticoidoterapia. Revista de Hospedales e Clinicas de Faculdad Medica, Universidad Sao Paulo 35: 88–90. | |
| Krascheninnikow S and Jeska EL (1961) Agar diffusion studies on the species specificity of Balantidium coli, B. caviae and B. wenrichi. Immunology 4: 282–288. | |
| Nelson EC (1934) Observations and experiments on conjugation of Balantidium from chimpanzee. American Journal of Hygiene 20: 106–134. | |
| Nelson EC (1940) An intestinal content cultivation medium. American Journal of Tropical Medicine 20: 731–745. | |
| Tempelis CH and Lysenko MG (1957) The production of hyaluronidase by Balantidium coli. Experimental Parasitology 6: 31–36. | |
| Westphal A (1957) Experimentelle Infektionen des Meerschweinchens mit Balantidium coli. Zeitschrift für Tropenmedizin und Parasitologie 8: 288–294. | |
| Young NC and Woody HB (1950) Attempts to transmit human Balantidium coli. American Journal of Tropical Medicine 30: 71–72. | |
| book Zaman V (1993) "Balantidium coli". In: Kreier JP and Baker JR (eds) Parasitic Protozoa, vol. 3, pp 43–63. New York: Academic Press. | |
| Further Reading | |
| book Arean VH and Echevarria R (1971) "Balantidiasis". In: Marcial Rojas RA (ed.) Pathology of Protozoal and Helminthic Diseases, pp. 234–253. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins. | |
| book Levine ND (1985) Veterinary Protozoology. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press. | |
| book Walzer PD and Healy RG (1982) "Balantidiasis". In: Jacobs L (ed.) CRC Handbook Series in Zoonoses, vol. 1, pp. 15–24. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. | |
| Westphal A (1939) Experimentelle Balantidiumifektionen beim Kaninchen, zugleich einige Beobachtungen über das Wirtsproblem beim Darmlumenparasitismus. Zeitschrift für Parasitenkunde 11: 68–76. | |
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