Fig. 4

Relative abundance of representatives of gut bacteria in mouse fecal samples. The mice were surgically infected with Blastocystis ST7-B and ST7-H isolates, and fecal samples were collected before surgery and 1-, 2-, and 3-day post infection. The DNA was extracted from 42 mg of samples and gut bacteria 16S rDNA genes were detected in qPCR. Analyses showed an increase in E. coli in mice infected with Blastocystis ST7-B at 1- and 2-day post infection. On the other hand, there was a decrease in Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in Blastocystis-infected mice. Blastocystis ST7-H isolated caused a decrease in Lactobacillus in mice after 1 and 3 days of infection. Blastocystis ST7-B and ST7-H caused a decrease in Bifidobacterium after 3 days of infection. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01