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ARTICLES

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2025): Rev. Arg. Parasitol.

Association between Blastocystis spp. and gastrointestinal and extraintestinal symptoms in patients attending a general hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina: a case-control study

Submitted
October 31, 2025
Published
2025-10-31

Abstract

A retrospective case-control study (1:1) was conducted to evaluate the possible association between the presence of Blastocystis spp. and gastrointestinal and extraintestinal clinical manifestations in patients of all ages treated at an acute care hospital in Buenos Aires City, Argentina. Between January 2020 and December 2023, 1158 parasitological studies of stool samples corresponding to equal number of patients were analyzed. The overall prevalence of Blastocystis spp. was 17.1% (n = 198), with no significant seasonal variations observed. Of the total positive samples, 125 patients presented Blastocystis spp. as the only microorganism, and these were selected to form the case group. For the control group, 125 patients with negative parasitological results were randomly selected. Statistical analysis revealed a significant association (p < 0.05) between the presence of Blastocystis spp. and three clinical symptoms: abdominal pain, headache, and dyspepsia. The results of this study support the hypothesis of a possible pathogenic role of Blastocystis spp.

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