There is no absolute known cause for blastocystis. Many speculate that developed countries and western culture are immune to having parasitic infections if they don’t travel, however this could not be further from the truth. B. hominis in particular survives for long periods without a host body, and there are many considerations for how we can become affected.
To begin, think about our diets, lifestyles, and habits: even if we do not have direct contact with contaminated water or other factors, we are still susceptible. The first considerations involve our surroundings: even if we don’t travel, most of us interact with others through jobs, school, and in public places where contaminants can live. Our produce is often imported, and problems such as E. coli in spinach mean we are never isolated from disease no matter what precautions we take. Alfalfa sprouts, peanut butter, tomatoes, and recently cilantro in Mexico have been recalled and banned for a time because of pathogens or risks with unsanitary conditions.
Even in the United States, regulations serve as prevention, but are not absolute solutions, to stopping contamination. Public pools, airplanes, cruises, restrooms, restaurants, and other establishments run the risk of fecal-oral contact, and if the fecal matter has blastocystis, then it can pass onto us. Improper personal hygiene can infect others by direct or indirect contact. Many parasites simply enter the intestinal tract through oral-fecal contact. With the amount of eating out we do, or even with the prepackaged foods we buy, we can’t be certain that food-handling employees always wash their hands.
I don’t suggest we lock ourselves up and become isolated, as interactions in public spheres actually spread good bacteria, not to mention the social needs for optimal living, but unfortunately, a few naive persons with less than ideal sanitary practices means that parasites are possible. While most of us are hygienic, many of us handle children whose bodies are prone to receiving and transmitting pathogens.
Further considerations to how we’re susceptible involve our daily practices in habits and eating. Refined sugars, starch, caffeine, and alcohol are just a few factors that can feed the growth of blastocystis if it’s all ready in our body. Stress, candida overgrowth, or an imbalance of bad bacteria in the gut create ideal living spaces for parasites. Even though conclusive evidence is debated, taking a strong antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-parasitic blend such as Canxida Remove will help cover any potential imbalances of the gut. For bad bacteria, too, Canxida Restore provides a gentle formula with effective probiotic strains to reintroduce beneficial bacteria to your digestive system.
In general, water quality and unsanitary living conditions are another risk factor. Those who work around animals are also more susceptible, as the parasites thrive in any host body. National University of Singapore’s department of microbiology published a review online, suggesting that most Blastocystis subtypes are zoonotic, that is, they can be passed from animal to person.
The infection can also occur from waterborne disease, in any contaminated water source: lakes, streams, unmaintained wells, swimming pools, water parks, or any water source potentially with sewage or feces from animals and humans. Eating uncooked food that’s contaminated with blastocystis, from poor irrigation methods or washing the produce, is another transmission potential. Exact transmission methods remain scientifically unproven, however by practicing good hygiene, you can prevent yourself and others from getting b. hominus.