Unit 12. Ciliate
Unit 12. Ciliate
Unit 12. Ciliate
Ciliate
Topics:
12.1. Balantidium coli
Ciliate
12.1. Balantidium coli
• Balantidium coli belongs to the Phylum Ciliophora and Family Balantididae.
• It is the only ciliate protozoan parasite of humans
• It is the largest protozoan parasite of humans.
History and Distribution
• It was first described by Malmsten in 1857, in the feces of dysenteric
patients.
• It is present worldwide, but the prevalence of the infection is very low.
• The most endemic area is New Guinea, where there is a close association
between man and pigs.
Habitat
-B. coli resides in the large intestine of man, pigs, and monkeys.
Ciliate
Morphology
-B. Coli occurs in 2 stages – trophozoite and cyst.
Trophozoite
• The trophozoite lives in the large intestine, feeding on cell debris, bacteria, starch
grains, and other particles.
• The trophozoite is actively motile and is invasive stage of the parasite found in
dysenteric stool.
• It is a large ovoid cell, about 60–70 µm in length and 40–50 µm in breadth. Very large
cells, measuring upto 200 µm are sometimes seen.
• The motility of trophozoite is due to the presence of short delicate cilia over the entire
surface of the body.
• At the anterior end, there is a groove (peristome) leading to the mouth (cytostome),
and a short funnel shaped gullet (cytopharynx).
Ciliate
Cyst
• The cyst is spherical in shape and measures 40–60 µm in diameter.
• It is surrounded by a thick and transparent double layered wall.
Life Cycle
• B. coli passes its life cycle in one host only (monoxenous).
• Natural host: Pig.
• Accidental host: Man.
• Reservoirs: Pig, monkey, and rat.
• Infective form: Cyst.
Mode of transmission:
• Balantidiasis is a zoonosis.
• Human beings acquire infection by ingestion of food and water contaminated with
feces containing the cysts of B. coli.
• Infection is acquired from pigs and other animal reservoirs or from human carriers.
• Once the cyst is ingested, excystation occurs in the small intestine.
• From each cyst, a single trophozoite is produced which migrates to large intestine
Ciliate
Clinical Features
• Most infections are asymptomatic.
• Symptomatic disease or balantidiasis resembles amoebiasis causing diarrhea
or frank dysentery with abdominal colic, tenesmus, nausea, and vomiting.
• Balantidium ulcers may be secondarily infected by bacteria.
• Occassionaly, intestinal perforation peritonitis and even death may occur.
• Rarely, there may be involvement of genital and urinary tracts.
• In chronic balantidiasis, patients have diarrhea alternating with constipation.
Ciliate
Treatment
• Tetracycline is the drug of choice and is given 500 mg, 4 times daily for 10
days. Alternatively Doxycycline can be give.
• Metronidazole and nitroimidazote have also been reported to be useful in
some cases.
Prophylaxis
- Avoidance of contamination of food and water with human or animal feces.
- Prevention of human-pig contact.
- Treatment of infected pigs.
- Treatment of individuals shedding B. coli cysts.
Ciliate
Laboratory Diagnosis
Stool Examination
• Diagnosis of B. coli infection is established by demonstration of trophozoites and
cysts in feces.
- Motile trophozoites occur in diarrheic feces and cysts are found in formed stools.
- The trophozoites can be easily recognized by their large size, macronucleus, and
rapid-revolving motility.
- The cysts can also be recognized in the formed stools by their round shape and
presence of large macronucleus.
Biopsy
- When stool examination is negative, biopsy specimens and scrapings from
intestinal ulcers can be examined for presence of trophozoites and cysts.
Culture
• B. coli can also be cultured in vitro in Locke’s egg albumin medium or NIH
polyxenic medium like Entamoeba histolytica, but it is rarely necessary