Blastocystis hominis Infection Alters Gut Microbiota in HIV-infected Patients Treated with Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART)

In the certain rural areas of the Peoples Republic of China, intestinal parasites are epidemic and distinguished for a large burden of HIV cases. Blastocystis hominis is an enteric protozoan which is one of the most common protists infecting humans but its role in human disease is still controversial. To address the issue of Blastocystis pathogenicity in HIV cases, we investigated the impact of colonization by this protist on the composition of the human gut microbiota and its association with immune profile. For that purpose, we examined the gut microbiota composition and inflammatory cytokine in 27 B. hominis - positive and 17 B. hominis-negative local HIV patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). High-throughput 16SrRNA gene sequencing revealed a higher bacterial diversity in faecal microbiota of Blastocystis colonized patients.