When a Ciliate Meets a Flagellate: A Rare Case of <i>Colpoda</i> spp. and <i>Colpodella</i> spp. Isolated from the Urine of a Human Patient. Case Report and Brief Review of Literature
An often-overlooked side of the population aging process and the steady rise of non-communicable diseases reflects the emergence of novel infectious pathogens on the background of an altered host immune response. The aim of this article was to present the first record of a ciliate and flagellate pro...
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MDPI AG
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/6/476 |
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| author | Vlad S. Neculicioiu Ioana A. Colosi Dan A. Toc Andrei Lesan Carmen Costache |
| author_facet | Vlad S. Neculicioiu Ioana A. Colosi Dan A. Toc Andrei Lesan Carmen Costache |
| author_sort | Vlad S. Neculicioiu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An often-overlooked side of the population aging process and the steady rise of non-communicable diseases reflects the emergence of novel infectious pathogens on the background of an altered host immune response. The aim of this article was to present the first record of a ciliate and flagellate protozoa recovered from the urine of an elderly patient and to review the existing medical literature involving these parasites. A 70-year-old female patient was admitted for breathing difficulties on the basis of an acute exacerbation of COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) with respiratory insufficiency. The patient reported a long history of multiple comorbidities including COPD Gold II, chronic respiratory insufficiency, chronic heart failure NYHA III (New York Heart Association Functional Classification), type 2 diabetes and morbid obesity. During routine examinations, we ascertained the presence of two unusual protozoa, a ciliate and a flagellate, in the patient’s urine samples, identified on morphological criteria to be most likely <i>Colpoda</i> spp. and <i>Colpodella</i> spp., with similarities to <i>C. steinii</i> and <i>C. gonderi</i>. The presence of these parasites was not associated with any clinical signs of urinary disease. Following a combined treatment with ceftriaxone and metronidazole, we observed the disappearance of these pathogens upon discharge from the primary care clinic. This study highlights the importance of including unusual pathogens in the differential diagnosis of cases which involve immunosuppression. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:58:22Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:58:22Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-3c8b6f0c607844afb8c2f3cdcf2784c52023-11-21T21:42:43ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372021-05-0110647610.3390/biology10060476When a Ciliate Meets a Flagellate: A Rare Case of <i>Colpoda</i> spp. and <i>Colpodella</i> spp. Isolated from the Urine of a Human Patient. Case Report and Brief Review of LiteratureVlad S. Neculicioiu0Ioana A. Colosi1Dan A. Toc2Andrei Lesan3Carmen Costache4Department of Microbiology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaDepartment of Microbiology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaDepartment of Microbiology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaPneumology Department, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400332 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaDepartment of Microbiology, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaAn often-overlooked side of the population aging process and the steady rise of non-communicable diseases reflects the emergence of novel infectious pathogens on the background of an altered host immune response. The aim of this article was to present the first record of a ciliate and flagellate protozoa recovered from the urine of an elderly patient and to review the existing medical literature involving these parasites. A 70-year-old female patient was admitted for breathing difficulties on the basis of an acute exacerbation of COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) with respiratory insufficiency. The patient reported a long history of multiple comorbidities including COPD Gold II, chronic respiratory insufficiency, chronic heart failure NYHA III (New York Heart Association Functional Classification), type 2 diabetes and morbid obesity. During routine examinations, we ascertained the presence of two unusual protozoa, a ciliate and a flagellate, in the patient’s urine samples, identified on morphological criteria to be most likely <i>Colpoda</i> spp. and <i>Colpodella</i> spp., with similarities to <i>C. steinii</i> and <i>C. gonderi</i>. The presence of these parasites was not associated with any clinical signs of urinary disease. Following a combined treatment with ceftriaxone and metronidazole, we observed the disappearance of these pathogens upon discharge from the primary care clinic. This study highlights the importance of including unusual pathogens in the differential diagnosis of cases which involve immunosuppression.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/6/476ciliateflagellate<i>Colpoda</i><i>Colpodella</i>urine |
| spellingShingle | Vlad S. Neculicioiu Ioana A. Colosi Dan A. Toc Andrei Lesan Carmen Costache When a Ciliate Meets a Flagellate: A Rare Case of <i>Colpoda</i> spp. and <i>Colpodella</i> spp. Isolated from the Urine of a Human Patient. Case Report and Brief Review of Literature Biology ciliate flagellate <i>Colpoda</i> <i>Colpodella</i> urine |
| title | When a Ciliate Meets a Flagellate: A Rare Case of <i>Colpoda</i> spp. and <i>Colpodella</i> spp. Isolated from the Urine of a Human Patient. Case Report and Brief Review of Literature |
| title_full | When a Ciliate Meets a Flagellate: A Rare Case of <i>Colpoda</i> spp. and <i>Colpodella</i> spp. Isolated from the Urine of a Human Patient. Case Report and Brief Review of Literature |
| title_fullStr | When a Ciliate Meets a Flagellate: A Rare Case of <i>Colpoda</i> spp. and <i>Colpodella</i> spp. Isolated from the Urine of a Human Patient. Case Report and Brief Review of Literature |
| title_full_unstemmed | When a Ciliate Meets a Flagellate: A Rare Case of <i>Colpoda</i> spp. and <i>Colpodella</i> spp. Isolated from the Urine of a Human Patient. Case Report and Brief Review of Literature |
| title_short | When a Ciliate Meets a Flagellate: A Rare Case of <i>Colpoda</i> spp. and <i>Colpodella</i> spp. Isolated from the Urine of a Human Patient. Case Report and Brief Review of Literature |
| title_sort | when a ciliate meets a flagellate a rare case of i colpoda i spp and i colpodella i spp isolated from the urine of a human patient case report and brief review of literature |
| topic | ciliate flagellate <i>Colpoda</i> <i>Colpodella</i> urine |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/6/476 |
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