NUS researchers find differential impacts of Blastocystis strains on gut health
Published: 14 Feb 2023
A diverse microbiome is usually accepted as an indicator of a healthy state of the gut. A healthier gut has a greater capacity for regulating health and combating diseases, while a less diverse one can cause conditions like inflammation disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation. However, the factors that contribute to a diverse or disrupted microbiome, are not well understood.
Blastocystis is a common parasite that inhabits the gastrointestinal tracts of humans, and a team of researchers at NUS Medicine has found that it is able to promote or disrupt a healthy bacterial gut profile, depending on the strain.
Thus, the team by Associate Professor Kevin Tan from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) investigated two strains of Blastocystis, ST4 and ST7, and whether they prevent or worsen intestinal disease, through studying their impact on intestinal microbiota, metabolism, and host immune responses. The study is published in Theranostics.
Blastocystis ST7 is a common gut microbe found in Singapore and the Southeast Asian region. The study showed that when primed with ST7, the strain decreased microbiome diversity and promoted gut inflammation in laboratory models.
However, when the models were primed with Blastocystis ST4, a strain more commonly found in Europe and the USA, the models developed a healthy gut microbiome and were protected from gut inflammation.
“We are currently investigating if Blastocystis ST4 has therapeutic potential against immunological diseases, and are concurrently pursuing studies to define the ways the different strains affect the gut microbiome,” said Associate Professor Tan.
Read the press release here
