TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 343. Balantidiasis A1 - Ortega-Barria, Eduardo A1 - Dominguez, Elidia A2 - Rudolph, Colin D. A2 - Rudolph, Abraham M. A2 - Lister, George E. A2 - First, Lewis R. A2 - Gershon, Anne A. PY - 2011 T2 - Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e AB - Balantidium coli is the largest protozoan parasite and the only ciliate known to cause infection in humans. B. coli is a zoonosis and has been found in pigs, rodents, cattle, reptiles, birds, fishes, annelids, arthropods, and many simian hosts. Pigs are typically the source of human infections, although species-to-species transmission requires adaptation of the parasite. The host’s health can be a factor, since individuals who are malnourished or suffering from concurrent infections are at greater risk of developing balantidiasis. Once a porcine strain becomes established in the human intestine, the infection may spread from human-to-human, and this may account for the occasional reported epidemics. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/11/11 UR - accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7031520 ER -