What is the Importance of Parasites in Dysbiosis?

A parasite is a microorganism that lives on or inside a host organism and feeds at the host’s expense.

From an evolutionary perspective, humans and parasites have been able to establish a symbiotic relationship. However, we find many of these microorganisms that can represent disruptive nodes in the host-microbe interaction and, therefore, contribute directly or indirectly to intestinal dysbiosis. In this sense, a good therapeutic approach is very important to help have the tools to detect what types of parasites we are facing.

There are two important classes of parasites that can cause diseases in humans: protozoa and helminths.

At Teletest, we have expanded our panel of parasitic species in the Intestinal Dysbiosis Test for a better analysis and evaluation of the results.

New Profiles (Expansion)

What is the importance of parasites in dysbiosis?

Parasitic Helminths (Worms)

Helminths can be classified into different groups, the most relevant being:

• Nematodes (roundworms)
• Platyhelminths (flatworms)

They are large multicellular organisms that, generally in their adult form, cannot multiply in humans, but can trigger eosinophilic reactions when they migrate through tissues. Most helminths develop complex life cycles with part of their life outside the human host. In some cases, helminths skew the host’s immunity to produce Th-2 type responses that may make the host less likely to eliminate the parasite.

Protozoan

Protozoa are unicellular microorganisms that, unlike the vast majority of helminth species, are capable of reproducing within a host, causing hundreds of thousands of new individuals within days of the initial infection.

The parasite’s propensity to kill the cell it invades or erode the tissue it occupies, while feeding on our cells, leads to measurable pathological consequences that translate directly into clinical signs and symptoms.

Why is the PCR Technique Better than Microscopy?

We perform the test with targeted polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Stool microscopy for many parasites is not very sensitive to detect infection.

The PCR test is highly sensitive and can identify specific genotypes, which is important for early detection, outbreaks, and epidemiological investigations.
The percentage of positive diagnoses is significantly higher compared to the detections achieved by other methods.

What is the Role of EPX in Parasitosis?

Eosinophilic cationic protein (EPX) is a relevant marker in the results of the Intestinal Dysbiosis Test, as it tells us about a present infection. One of the causes in which EPX is released is during the degranulation of eosinophils in various foci of inflammation, as a response to parasitic infestations.

It can also occur in other cases without a parasitosis present, such as:

• Food allergy
• Nonspecific inflammation in the mucosa
• Eosinophilic colitis

We have a video training available to expand all this information, which you can also find in your ‘Professional Access’ at www.teletest.es or on our Vimeo profile

To resolve any questions about our new parasite panel, you can contact us at 932.123.345 or by email at consultas@teletest.es