Blastocystis : getting to grips with our guileful guest

Highlights • Can Blastocystis induce or contribute to dysbiosis? Or could Blastocystis serve as a biomarker of microbiota homeostasis including high intestinal microbial diversity? • Do different microbiota favor establishment of different subtypes? Or what determines the relative success of establishment of each ST in different hosts? • What genes are involved in regulating transition from one morphotype to another? • How can different sub- and genotypes be characterized in terms of the existence and expression of cysteine proteases and similar virulence proteins?