Rethinking Blastocystis: ubiquity and cyclical abundance in the human gut

Key Points

• Blastocystis is identified as a core gut resident instead of a sporadic microorganism, revealing its ecological importance.
• The study observes fluctuating detectability of blastocystis and stresses the need for advanced detection methods.
• Longitudinal sampling is crucial in understanding the interaction between host microbes and environmental factors.
• Understanding blastocystis's ecological role may have important implications for clinical diagnostics and health.