Patient Accounts

Blastocystis 'hominis' News

March 25, 2011: Research publish complete genome sequence of Blastocystis

March 23, 2011: Culinary herbs common in Southeast Asian cooking inhibit growth of Blastocystis in-vitro

February 12, 2011: Diagnostic methods commonly used in laboratories fail to identify most Blastocystis infections

January 17, 2011: US FDA researchers report on new assay for Blastocystis

November 18, 2010: BRF co-authors study on detection of Blastocystis in samples from patients with inflammatory bowel disease and IBS

March 4, 2010: Rats infected with Blastocystis exhibit high levels of oxidative stress in a new paper from Parasitology Research

February 10, 2010: Are any of the antiprotozoal drugs really eradicating Blastocystis 'hominis' infection in patients? A recent review: "Eradication of Blastocystis carriage with antimicrobials: reality or delusion?" says they may not be working.

February 9, 2010: Patients with ulcerative colitis are more likely to experience a relapse in illness if they are infected with Blastocystis and other protozoa

January 15, 2010: BRF co-authors the world's first report on subtyping of Blastocystis 'hominis' isolates from Egypt

Older News

NOTE: The correct term is now Blastocystis not Blastocystis 'hominis' as there is no Blastocystis unique to humans.

Lisa

Received November 6, 2009

Listen to Lisa's Audio Testimony (WAV File - 2 Megabytes)

Hello. My name is Lisa. I am calling from Vancouver, Canada. You can make this audio available publicly.

I have been sick with Blastocystis 'hominis' hominis since 2005 after being run down with stress and overwork. I contracted the Blastocystis 'hominis' from Indonesia in 2004, where it is very hard to avoid.

I have not had a positive test since 2007, but I still have symptoms. If I take anti-parasite herbs, my symptoms are reduced. If I stop, they get worse again.

This parasite has caused chronic fatigue syndrome and has drastically effected my life. My symptoms are chronic fatigue, tired legs, cold legs, dizziness, hypoglycemia, reduced immunity to infection, palpitations, exhaustion, panic attacks, sinus infections, IBS symptoms, weight loss, and food sensitivities.

When I treat the Blastocystis 'hominis' with antiparasitic herbs the die off reaction is so strong I have to cut back, so I am never able to get rid of it. I took a full course of flagyl and paromomycin and neither got rid of the Blastocystis 'hominis'. If I need to take antibiotics, they kill off the good bacteria, allowing the parasite to proliferate even more, giving me more symptoms. My doctor didn't think it was pathogenic, but he thought ( ) see that it is.

I am spending so much of my savings on supplements, acupuncture, and naturopaths. I am English, so I am probably without resistance to Blastocystis 'hominis' hominis. Thank you, Bye.