Balantidium coli is a protozoan parasite that causes the disease balantidiasis in humans. It is the largest protozoan known to infect humans and lives in the large intestine. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingesting cysts from the feces of pigs, which are the main reservoir. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, and ulceration of the gut wall. Diagnosis is made by examining cysts or trophozoites in stool samples under a microscope. Treatment involves antibiotics like tetracycline, metronidazole, or iodoquinol. Prevention focuses on proper sanitation and disposal of human and pig feces to avoid fecal-oral transmission.

1. BALANTIDIUM COLI

2. INTRODUCTION
Balantidium coli is a parasitic specie of
ciliate protozoan responsible for the
disease balantidiasis.
Balantidium coli is the largest
protozoan and the only ciliate known
to parasitize humans

3. TAXONOMY
 Belongs to the family CILIOPHORA
 Class;Litostometea
 Order;Vestibuliferida
 Family;Balantidiidae
 Habitat;Large intestine of man, pig[main reservoir] and other animals

4. BALANTIDIOSIS
It is a zoonotic disease. It is acquired
by humans via the fecal-oral route
from the normal host , THE PIG ,
where it is asymptomatic

5. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
 The protozoa are found WORLDWIDE
 Bolivia
 Papua New Guinea
 Philippines

6. HOST
 Humans are the principle host.
 It is also reported in Dog
 It is common in monkeys and pigs

7. SITE OF INFECTION
 The following are the site of infection
1. CAECUM[a pouch that forms the first part of the large intestine]
2. LARGE INTESTINE

8. MORPHOLOGY
 Balantidium coli has 2 developmental stages
1. Trophozoite
2. Cyst stage

9. TROPHOZOITE
 Oval pointed at anterior end
 50-13oum long
 Covered in cilia
 Non-infective
 Reproduce by binary fission and conjugation
 Micronuclei and macronuclei

10. CYST
 Spherical
 40-60um across
 Covered with thick, hard cyst wall with cilia
 Infective
 Non-reproduction
 Macronuclie

11. LIFE CYCLE
 Life cycle completed in a single host natural hosts
 Pigs Accidental host
 Route;ingestion
 Reproduction;asexual and sexual

12. LIFE CYCLE
 The life cycle is as follow;
 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 the small intestine
 Excystation produces a trophozoite from the cyst stage

13.  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
 Cysts in the environment are then ready to infect another host .

14. SIGN AND SYMPTOMS
 Acute even hemorrhagic
 Diarrhea
 Ulceration to gut wall
 Dysentery
 Colitis[An inflammatory reaction in the colon often auto-immune or infection]
 Abdominal pain

15. DIAGNOSIS
 Examination of patients stool
 Biopsy
 Sigmoid scope is used to visually inspect the last sections of the large
intestine

16. TREATMENT
 Three drugs are commonly used and administered orally
1.Tetracycline
2.Metronidazole
3.Iodoquinol

17. TREATMENT
 Tetracyclines
 Metronidazole
 Iodoquinol
500 mg four times daily for 10 days
750 mg three times daily for 5days
640 mg three times daily for 20 day

18. PREVENTION AND CONTROL
 Avoid ingestion of material contaminated with animal feces
 Prevention and control sanitary disposal of human and pig feces
 Treatment of infected pigs
 Prevention of fecal contamination of food and water.

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