Do Blastocystis hominis colony forms undergo programmed cell death?

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Abstract
Ultrastructural observations were made on colony forms of the protozoan parasite, Blastocystis hominis. Cross-sections of entire colonies were observed by TEM. Cells within a colony were heterogeneous in morphology, consisting of vacuolar, amoeboid, multivacuolar and unusual forms. Dying cells appeared to be in the process of fragmenting into numerous membrane-bound vesicles, giving rise to empty spaces within the colony. Interestingly, older colonies appeared to show cell fragmentation which resulted in larger, membrane-bound structures. Numerous cytoplasmic inclusions were present in the central vacuole of some cells, with many containing mitochondria. Amoeboid forms were observed to harbour small membrane-bound vesicles in endosome-like compartments. Other unusual features included margination of chromatin material and distinct blebbing of nuclei. These ultrastructural features suggest that B. hominis colony forms perhaps undergo a form of programmed cell death.

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