Blastocystis Subtypes and Culture Characteristics of Isolates from Human Stools Related with the Presence of Gastrointestinal Symptoms: A Case-Control Study.

Purpose: To stablish if Blastocystis subtypes influences gastrointestinal symptoms.

Methods: Case-control study. We obtained sequencing for Blastocysts subtyping from 13 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea or abdominal pain) and 12 from individuals without symptoms.

Food safety assessment and risk for toxoplasmosis in school restaurants in Armenia, Colombia.

We assessed the risk for toxoplasmosis in 10 school restaurants in Armenia (Quindio, Colombia). We analyzed the presence of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in the food, water, and living and inert surfaces of school restaurants, and we correlated these findings with the results of food safety inspection scores and with the prevalence of specific anti-T. gondii antibodies in children who ate at these restaurants.

Detection of with formalin/ether concentration in (cabbage) and (lettuce).

Methods to detect protozoa are needed for food safety monitoring. We evaluated protocols to recover cysts in (cabbage) and (lettuce) and then detection was performed by concentrating with formalin/ether solutions and microscopy or immunofluorescence or DNA amplification via PCR. To evaluate this methodology, cysts were inoculated in triplicate (10 cysts) in 35-g samples of lettuce and cabbage.