<i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> in Ulcerative Colitis: Analysis of Clinical Findings and Biochemical Parameters
Although <i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> is a common protozoan in humans, its pathogenicity and clinical significance in human diseases remain poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the frequency of <i>D. fragilis</i> in adult ulcerative colitis patients and to assess i...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Ismail Taskiran Erdogan Malatyali Ibrahim Yildiz Levent Durmus Guler Evren Tileklioglu Hatice Ertabaklar Sema Ertug |
| author_facet | Ismail Taskiran Erdogan Malatyali Ibrahim Yildiz Levent Durmus Guler Evren Tileklioglu Hatice Ertabaklar Sema Ertug |
| author_sort | Ismail Taskiran |
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| description | Although <i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> is a common protozoan in humans, its pathogenicity and clinical significance in human diseases remain poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the frequency of <i>D. fragilis</i> in adult ulcerative colitis patients and to assess its relationship with clinical findings, disease characteristics, and biochemical parameters. Patient data were analysed in a prospective, single-centre, cross-sectional design. Faecal samples were consecutively collected from June to December 2024 and screened for <i>D. fragilis</i> positivity using polymerase chain reaction. Of the 110 patients, 33 (30%) were in the active stage of the disease, while 77 (70%) were in remission. The overall frequency of <i>D. fragilis</i> was 10.9% (<i>n</i> = 12), with all isolates classified as genotype 1 according to SSU rRNA sequence analysis. Other protozoa identified were <i>Blastocystis</i> sp. (<i>n</i> = 5, 4.5%), <i>Entamoeba coli</i> (<i>n</i> = 1, 0.9%), and <i>Iodamoeba bütschlii</i> (<i>n</i> = 1, 0.9%). Two patients were co-infected with <i>D. fragilis</i> and <i>Blastocystis</i>. No significant associations were found between <i>D. fragilis</i> positivity and the disease stage, gastrointestinal symptoms, treatment response, or biochemical findings. In conclusion, despite the relatively small sample size, these findings highlight a limited clinical role of <i>D. fragilis</i> in adult ulcerative colitis patients. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj-art-a1cde681ac924d49805d549e9c66f9c22025-08-20T03:56:45ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172025-07-0114767410.3390/pathogens14070674<i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> in Ulcerative Colitis: Analysis of Clinical Findings and Biochemical ParametersIsmail Taskiran0Erdogan Malatyali1Ibrahim Yildiz2Levent Durmus Guler3Evren Tileklioglu4Hatice Ertabaklar5Sema Ertug6Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, 09010 Aydin, TurkeyDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, 09010 Aydin, TurkeyDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, 09010 Aydin, TurkeyDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, 09010 Aydin, TurkeyDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, 09010 Aydin, TurkeyDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, 09010 Aydin, TurkeyDepartment of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Aydin Adnan Menderes University, 09010 Aydin, TurkeyAlthough <i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> is a common protozoan in humans, its pathogenicity and clinical significance in human diseases remain poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the frequency of <i>D. fragilis</i> in adult ulcerative colitis patients and to assess its relationship with clinical findings, disease characteristics, and biochemical parameters. Patient data were analysed in a prospective, single-centre, cross-sectional design. Faecal samples were consecutively collected from June to December 2024 and screened for <i>D. fragilis</i> positivity using polymerase chain reaction. Of the 110 patients, 33 (30%) were in the active stage of the disease, while 77 (70%) were in remission. The overall frequency of <i>D. fragilis</i> was 10.9% (<i>n</i> = 12), with all isolates classified as genotype 1 according to SSU rRNA sequence analysis. Other protozoa identified were <i>Blastocystis</i> sp. (<i>n</i> = 5, 4.5%), <i>Entamoeba coli</i> (<i>n</i> = 1, 0.9%), and <i>Iodamoeba bütschlii</i> (<i>n</i> = 1, 0.9%). Two patients were co-infected with <i>D. fragilis</i> and <i>Blastocystis</i>. No significant associations were found between <i>D. fragilis</i> positivity and the disease stage, gastrointestinal symptoms, treatment response, or biochemical findings. In conclusion, despite the relatively small sample size, these findings highlight a limited clinical role of <i>D. fragilis</i> in adult ulcerative colitis patients.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/7/674<i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i>ulcerative colitisfrequencypolymerase chain reactiongenotypebiochemical parameters |
| spellingShingle | Ismail Taskiran Erdogan Malatyali Ibrahim Yildiz Levent Durmus Guler Evren Tileklioglu Hatice Ertabaklar Sema Ertug <i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> in Ulcerative Colitis: Analysis of Clinical Findings and Biochemical Parameters Pathogens <i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> ulcerative colitis frequency polymerase chain reaction genotype biochemical parameters |
| title | <i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> in Ulcerative Colitis: Analysis of Clinical Findings and Biochemical Parameters |
| title_full | <i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> in Ulcerative Colitis: Analysis of Clinical Findings and Biochemical Parameters |
| title_fullStr | <i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> in Ulcerative Colitis: Analysis of Clinical Findings and Biochemical Parameters |
| title_full_unstemmed | <i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> in Ulcerative Colitis: Analysis of Clinical Findings and Biochemical Parameters |
| title_short | <i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> in Ulcerative Colitis: Analysis of Clinical Findings and Biochemical Parameters |
| title_sort | i dientamoeba fragilis i in ulcerative colitis analysis of clinical findings and biochemical parameters |
| topic | <i>Dientamoeba fragilis</i> ulcerative colitis frequency polymerase chain reaction genotype biochemical parameters |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/7/674 |
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