Blastocystis: Pathogen or Passenger?

Prof. Dr. Heinz Mehlhorn, Düsseldorf, Germany. He has investigated the transmission pathways of human and animal parasites for over 40 years and his university spin-off company Alpha-Biocare has developed various antiparasitic medical products based on more than 20 patents. He has published 25 books, more than 250 original papers, and has served as Managing Editor of the journal Parasitology Research since 1981.Prof. Dr. Kevin SW Tan, Singapore, former fellow at the Rockefeller University. He is a specialist for molecular parasitology research in the fields of Blastocystis hominis and Plasmodium falciparum, and has received various national and international awards as well as considerable research grants for his work to date. More recently, he has funneled the research output of his many publications into the foundation of the company Biolynx Technology.Prof. Dr. Hisao Yoshikawa, Nara, Japan. He has been an active researcher in many fields of medical and zoological parasitology for over 30 years. Over the course of this time, he has intensively studied the ultrastructure, cell biology and molecular phylogeny of many isolates of Blastocystis.

Landmarks in the discovery of Blastocystis stages.- Morphology of human and animal Blastocystis isolates with special references to reproductive modes.- Epidemiology, transmission and zoonotic potential of Blastocystis stages in humans and animals.- Blastocystis - Host interactions: insights from in-vitro model systems.- Clinical aspects of Blastocystis infections: advancements admidst controversies.- Molecular approaches on systematic position, genetic polymorphism and classification of Blastocystis isolates from humans and animals.- What do we know about Blastocystis analyzing research studies with statistical methods.- Behavioral decision analysis: how do we decide what makes us sick?.- Diarrheas in humans due to agents of diseases.- What are zoonotic diseases?.- Conclusions.