Case report of Colpodella spp. in urine: Introduction of an emerging opportunistic parasite in patients with heart failure and a brief literature review
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Parasitology, Toxoplasmosis Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
- 2Iranian National Registry Center for Lophomoniasis and Toxoplasmosis, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
- 3Department of Pathology, Mazandaran Heart Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
- 4Mazandaran Heart Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari Azad University, Iran
- 5Department of Infectious Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Abstract
Colpodella spp. is a free-living, flagellated protist and predator belonging to the order Colpodellida. It is recognized as the closest genetic relative to the phylum Apicomplexa. Although Colpodella spp. is generally not pathogenic to humans, recent studies have shown that under certain conditions it can act as an opportunistic pathogen, infecting humans and animals. The aim of this article is to present the first report of Colpodella spp. isolation from urine samples of two patients with heart failure in Iran, as well as to review and examine the existing literature in this field. The organisms were identified based on their characteristic morphology in Giemsa-stained preparations, specifically their small pyriform (pear-shaped) body, a single nucleus, and a distinct apical region characterized by active gliding motility. Two patients, including a 73-year-old woman and a 71-year-old man, were admitted to the hospital due to heart failure. Both patients had a long history of chronic comorbidities, including type 2 diabetes and morbid obesity. During routine examinations of their urine samples, the presence of an unusual flagellated organism was observed, which, based on morphological criteria, was likely identified as a species belonging to the genus Colpodella spp. We acknowledge the possibility of environmental contamination during sample collection, as well as the need to consider potential tick-borne transmission routes in future investigations.
Therefore, this study emphasizes the importance of identifying and investigating the potential of Colpodella spp. as an opportunistic pathogen in humans, especially in patients with underlying heart conditions. It also demonstrates that Colpodella spp. can be found in the urinary samples of patients even in the absence of obvious clinical symptoms, highlighting the significance of paying attention to this protist in medical diagnoses.
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BibTeX
@article{hezarjaribi2026case,
title = {{Case report of Colpodella spp. in urine: Introduction of an emerging opportunistic parasite in patients with heart failure and a brief literature review}},
author = {Hajar Ziaei Hezarjaribi and Shamsi Kalhori and Shakiiba Shafaei and Lotfollah Davoodi and Elahe Sadat Hosseini and Marzieh Asadi},
journal = {IDCases},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.idcr.2026.e02777},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idcr.2026.e02777},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Case report of Colpodella spp. in urine: Introduction of an emerging opportunistic parasite in patients with heart failure and a brief literature review
AU - Hajar Ziaei Hezarjaribi
AU - Shamsi Kalhori
AU - Shakiiba Shafaei
AU - Lotfollah Davoodi
AU - Elahe Sadat Hosseini
AU - Marzieh Asadi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
JO - IDCases
DO - 10.1016/j.idcr.2026.e02777
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idcr.2026.e02777
AB - Colpodella spp. is a free-living, flagellated protist and predator belonging to the order Colpodellida. It is recognized as the closest genetic relative to the phylum Apicomplexa. Although Colpodella spp. is generally not pathogenic to humans, recent studies have shown that under certain conditions it can act as an opportunistic pathogen, infecting humans and animals. The aim of this article is to present the first report of Colpodella spp. isolation from urine samples of two patients with heart failure in Iran, as well as to review and examine the existing literature in this field. The organisms were identified based on their characteristic morphology in Giemsa-stained preparations, specifically their small pyriform (pear-shaped) body, a single nucleus, and a distinct apical region characterized by active gliding motility. Two patients, including a 73-year-old woman and a 71-year-old man, were admitted to the hospital due to heart failure. Both patients had a long history of chronic comorbidities, including type 2 diabetes and morbid obesity. During routine examinations of their urine samples, the presence of an unusual flagellated organism was observed, which, based on morphological criteria, was likely identified as a species belonging to the genus Colpodella spp. We acknowledge the possibility of environmental contamination during sample collection, as well as the need to consider potential tick-borne transmission routes in future investigations. Therefore, this study emphasizes the importance of identifying and investigating the potential of Colpodella spp. as an opportunistic pathogen in humans, especially in patients with underlying heart conditions. It also demonstrates that Colpodella spp. can be found in the urinary samples of patients even in the absence of obvious clinical symptoms, highlighting the significance of paying attention to this protist in medical diagnoses.
SN - 2214-2509
ER -