By :- AKASH YADAV

SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION
Domain: Eukaryota
Phylum: Ciliophora (Doflein, 1901)
Class: Kinetofragminophorea (De Puytorac et al., 1974)
Order: Vestibuliferida
Family: Balantiididae
Genus: Balantidium
Species: B. coli (Malmsten, 1857)
A parasitic species of ciliate protozoan that causes
the disease Balantidiasis.
Balantidium coli is the largest protozoan and the only
ciliate known to parasitize humans.
GEOGRAPHICAL
DISTRIBUTATION

The protozoa are found

worldwide
Bolivia
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
 TROPHOZOITE

•Oval pointed at anterior end

•50-130um long
•Covered in cilia
•motile
• Non-infective
•Reproduce by binary fission
and conjugation
• Micronuclei and
macronuclei
CYST
•Smaller than trophozoites
•Spherical
• 40-60um across
•Non motile
• Covered with thick,hard
•Faintly yellowish green in
color
cyst wall with cilia made
of
one or two layers
•Infective
• Non-reproductive
•Macronuclei
TRANSMISSION
Fecal-oral route
Eating meat, fruits, and vegetables that have been
contaminated by an infected person or
contaminated by fecal matter from an infected
animal
Drinking and washing food with contaminated
water
Having poor hygiene habits
 LIFE CYCLE

Life Cycle Completed in a single host

Natural hosts
Pigs Accidental host
Route : Ingestion
Reproduction: asexual and sexual
LIFE CYCLE
 LIFE CYCLE
Balantidium coli has 2 developmental stages: a
trophozoite stage and a cyst stage.
The cyst is the infective stage of Balantidium coli
life cycle.
Once the cyst is ingested via feces-contaminated
food or water, it passes through the host digestive
system.
There, excystation takes place in small intestine.
Excystation produces a trophozoite from the
cyst stage.
 LIFE CYCLE
The motile trophozoite then resides in the lumen of the
large intestine, feeding on intestinal nutrients.
Trophozoites multiply by asexual binary fission or
sexual conjugation.
The trophozoite may become invasive and penetrate the
mucosa of the large intestine.
Trophozoites are released with the feces, and encyst to
form new cyst.
Encystation takes place in the rectum of the host as
feces are dehydrated or soon after the feces have been
excreted.
Cysts in the environment are then ready to infect another
host.
CLINICAL PRESENTATION OF
BALANTIDIASIS
 Trophozoites can invade the mucosa of the large
intestine (cecum and colon) and cause
ulcerations.
The parasite secretes a substance called
hyaluronidase enzyme, which helps degrade
intestinal tissue and facilitates penetration of the
mucosa.
 Other bacteria in the intestine may enter the
ulcer along with Balantidium coli, leading to
secondary infections. Ulcerations of the large
intestine can be viewed using sigmoidoscopy
SYMPTOM
S

Acute ,even
hemorrhagic
Diarrhea
Ulceration to gut wall
Dysentery
Colitis
Abdominal pain
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Balantidiosis is most often found in tropical
regions throughout the world ,It is not a
common human disease;
The infection rate is less than 1% ,The parasite
is nonpathogenic in pigs and is much more
prevalent (20-100%) among these hosts.
Pigs are a good source of infection for humans in
areas where they share habitation.
DIAGNOSIS

Examination of patient`s stool

A stool sample is collected and a
wet mount is prepared
Biopsy
sigmoid scope is used to visually
inspect the last sections of the large
intestine
unstained TRICHROME eosin
TREATMENT

Three drugs are commonly used and

administered orally
1)Tetracycline
2)Metronidazole
3)Iodoquinol
THANK
YOU