Publications by authors named "Vasana Jinatham"

Article Synopsis
  • Diplomonads are a group of anaerobic flagellates that include both host-associated species, like parasites in the intestines, and free-living species found in anoxic environments.
  • Research shows that free-living diplomonads are evolutionarily linked to their host-dependent relatives, suggesting that they may have reverted from a parasitic lifestyle back to free-living, which is a rare evolutionary event.
  • New phylogenomic analyses reveal multiple branches of free-living diplomonads within host-associated species, highlighting the need for a better understanding of their evolutionary transitions.
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Background: Blastocystis is a unicellular eukaryote commonly found in the intestinal tract of humans and other animals. The prevalence of Blastocystis has been investigated in both developed and developing countries, yet its occurrence and distribution in rural locations has been less studied. Herein, we aimed to examine the distribution of Blastocystis colonization in Thai adults representing background populations along a rural/peri-urban gradient, as well as associations between colonization and personal characteristics.

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Blastocystis is a stramenopile protist of controversial pathogenicity. The organism colonizes a broad range of vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Blastocystis has also been found in the environment both in water and soil.

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Article Synopsis
  • Blastocystis is a common protist found in the guts of humans and animals, often transmitted through water or fecal-oral routes.
  • In a study in northern Thailand, researchers tested 20 tap water samples and found a 30% prevalence of Blastocystis, specifically subtype three (ST3).
  • The findings suggest that tap water could contribute to the transmission of this subtype, prompting recommendations for further studies in other areas and in humans exposed to this water.
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is the most commonly found eukaryote in the gut of humans and other animals. This protist is extremely heterogeneous genetically and is classified into 28 subtypes (STs) based on the small subunit ribosomal RNA ( rRNA) gene. Numerous studies exist on prevalence of the organism, which usually focus on either humans or animals or the environment, while only a handful investigates all three sources simultaneously.

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is an obligate anaerobic microbial eukaryote that frequently inhabits the gastrointestinal tract. Despite this prevalence, very little is known about the extent of its genetic diversity, pathogenicity, and interaction with the rest of the microbiome and its host. Although the organism is morphologically static, it has no less than 28 genetically distinct subtypes (STs).

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species are non-photosynthetic trebouxiophyte algae ubiquitously distributed in nature and can be found in sewage and soil. This microbial eukaryote causes human protothecosis in immunocompromised individuals. Thus, presence in the stool of individuals without gastrointestinal symptoms has been reported only rarely.

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The genus Entamoeba comprises mostly gut parasites and commensals of invertebrate and vertebrate animals including humans. Herein, we report a new species of Entamoeba isolated from the gut of Asian swamp eels (Monopterus albus) in northern Thailand. Morphologically, the trophozoite is elongated and has a single prominent pseudopodium with no clear uroid.

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