Objective
Blastocystis is an enteric parasite which can cause gastrointestinal symptoms and may be sexually transmissible in men who have sex with men (MSM). This review aimed to explore the characteristics of MSM with Blastocystis.
Method
Five bibliographical databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, EMCARE, Cochrane-central) were searched for manuscripts which explored the characteristics of MSM with Blastocystis written in English, French or Spanish in October 2024. Following the initial search, duplicates were removed, and two authors independently conducted a full text review and risk of bias assessment using the Joanna Briggs Institute toolkits. Narrative data were synthesised to generate themes. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO(ID:CRD42024582946).
Results
Fourteen manuscripts were included in this review; from Australia (n = 2), Spain (n = 2), Denmark (n = 2), USA (n = 2), UK(n = 1), Italy (n = 1), France (n = 1), Germany (n = 1), Canada (n = 1) & China (n = 1) published between 1988 and 2022. The manuscripts were case-reports (n = 2), case-series (n = 1) and cross-sectional studies (n = 11) and included 693 MSM who tested positive for Blastocystis. The majority of MSM in this review were living with HIV which either represents a biological, a behavioural (surrogate) characteristic or a confounding association. This review also highlighted demographic (being asymptomatic), behavioural (multiple sexual partners, recent (tropical) travel, oral-anal sex) and infection (co-infection with STI [N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis], co-infection with other sexually transmissible enteric pathogens [Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., E.coli, E. histolytica, G. duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp.], co-infection with intestinal spirochaetosis, co-infection with a non-pathogenic enteric parasite) characteristics of MSM who tested positive for Blastocystis.
Conclusion
This review serves as a resource for future public health control strategies, clinical guidelines and research to understand the sexual transmissibility of Blastocystis in MSM.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
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