Fecal calprotectin (f-CP) is a marker of inflammation in intestine, calprotectin is released by
whilte blood cells, macrophages, and epithelial cells.
This study used the f-CP level as a factor to determine the pathogenicity of Blastocystis hominis.
The f-CP levels were measured in Blastocystis hominis patients as compared to negative B.
hominis ones with gastrointestinal symptoms related to healthy controls.
A total of 235 stool samples were divided into three groups. G1: 88 stool samples of patients
with gastrointestinal complaints positive only for blastocysts hominis. G2: 75 stool samples of
patients with gastrointestinal complains and B. hominis free. G3: 72 stool samples of healthy
volunteers, with neither gastrointestinal symptoms nor microbiological infection.
The levels of f-CP were determined by specific ELISA showed that the f-CP concentration was
highest in G1 & G2 as compared separately with G3, with significant differences (P < 0.001),
but without significant difference between G1 & G2 (p =0.453).