Prevalence of Blastocystis Infection in Humans in Turkiye: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Although Blastocystis, a protozoan, is commonly found in all species of animals and in humans, there remains a lack of clear information about its epidemiology and routes of transmission. The aim of this meta-analysis study was to determine the changes in Blastocystis prevalence and subtype distribution in humans in T & uuml;rkiye according to geographical regions. Databases were searched using the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, and TRDizin to identify studies on the prevalence of Blastocystis in humans in T & uuml;rkiye published from 2009 to 2023. As a result of this systematic search, 117 of 730 articles were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of human Blastocystis infection in T & uuml;rkiye was 13.08 %. The prevalence of the pool was higher in the Black Sea region, which is the most humid region in T & uuml;rkiye, than in other regions. Blastocystis subtypes were identified in a total of 885 positive samples. The most common subtypes (ST) in T & uuml;rkiye were ST3, ST1 and ST2, respectively. In addition to these ST4, ST5, ST6 and ST7 were also detected in humans in T & uuml;rkiye. In conclusion, the prevalence of Blastocystis in humans is high in T & uuml;rkiye, especially in the Black Sea region.