CYTOPATHIC EFFECTS OF BLASTOCYSTIS-HOMINIS ON CHINESE-HAMSTER OVARY (CHO) AND ADENO CARCINOMA HT29 CELL-CULTURES

Blastocystis hominis isolates from asymptomatic carriers and symptomat ic patients were cultured in vitro, purified from the co-cultivated ba cterial nora and tested for cytopathic effects on monolayers of Chines e Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells and Adeno Carcinoma HT29 cells. In the cas e of the CHO cells, living B. hominis cells and B. hominis cell lysate s were able to cause significant cytopathic effects, which were depend ent on the concentration of cells employed. Destruction of the cell mo nolayers was observed to the same extent with patient isolates derived from healthy or symptomatic B. hominis carriers. HT29 cells were less susceptible: B. hominis cells and cell lysates caused only minor effe cts which were not statistically significant. Culture filtrates of B. hominis exhibited cytopathic potential on CHO and HT29 cells; however, the control which consisted of filtrates from Robinson's cultures in which B. hominis failed to grow showed similar effects, too. Therefore the culture supernatants could not be proven to produce a specific cy topathic effect on CHO and HT29 cells.