Blastocystis Research Foundation

BRF is a non-profit organization that addresses Blastocystis infection, a neglected tropical infectious disease with a high prevalence in industrialized countries. BRF is the #1 author for Blastocystis papers in the United States, and we have completed joint projects with researchers at the US Air Force, the Pasteur Institute (France), Oregon State University, a World Health Organization coordinating center, China's Center for Disease Control, and others. We were the first organization to identify Blastocystis infection in Gulf War Veterans with undiagnosed illness and in US civilians with long-term unexplained illness. We facilitated the development of the first real-time PCR test for Blastocystis, genotyping of ATCC isolates, and the development of the first immunofluorescence stain for Blastocystis. We were the first one to publish the prevalence of Blastocystis infection in Oregon (12%), and to note the substantial increase in prevalence since 1990.

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