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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffOnce thought to be a harmless yeast, B. hominis is a parasite, a microscopic single-celled organism (protozoan). It behaves like a tiny animal — hunting and gathering other microbes for food. Many protozoa inhabit your gastrointestinal tract and are harmless; others cause disease.
Whether B. hominis is the type of protozoa that causes disease is controversial. Many people who carry Blastocystis hominis have no signs or symptoms. Some people who have this parasite have diarrhea and other symptoms, which some experts believe is caused by an infection with B. hominis. However, Blastocystis hominis often appears with other organisms that may be the actual cause of the signs and symptoms commonly associated with blastocystis infection. So experts aren't sure whether Blastocystis hominis causes disease or merely serves as an indicator of other agents that might cause diarrheal symptoms. It's also possible that some people may be carriers of B. hominis and don't exhibit any signs or symptoms of infection, while other people are more susceptible to infection.
Many types of protozoa get into the intestinal tract through oral-fecal contact, such as occurs when a person who doesn't wash his or her hands thoroughly after using the toilet prepares food. No one knows for certain how B. hominis is transmitted, but experts suspect it's through oral-fecal contact. Experts do know that the incidence of infection associated with Blastocystis hominis increases in places with inadequate sanitation and poor personal hygiene.
