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History
Isospora belli was discovered by Rudolf Virchow in 1860 and was named by Charles Morley Wenyon in 1923. The parasite is now known as Cystoisospora belli.

About Cystoisospora belli
Cystoisospora belli, previously known as Isospora belli, is a coccidian parasite that causes an intestinal disease known as cystoisosporiasis. This parasite is transmitted by ingesting food or water that has been contaminated with feces from someone who is infected. The infective stage found in stool is the mature oocyst. The distribution of this parasite is worldwide but it is most commonly found in tropical and subtropical areas of the world.

Morphology
The oocysts of Cystoisospora belli are long and oval shaped. The oocysts are usually between 20 and 33 micrometers in length and between 10 and 19 micrometers wide.

Life Cycle

 * An oocyst with one sporoblast is released in stool of infected person
 * After the oocyst has been released, the sporoblast matures further and divides into two
 * After the sporoblasts divide they create a cyst wall and become sporocysts
 * The sporocysts each divide twice, resulting in four sporozoites
 * Transmission occurs when these mature oocysts are ingested
 * The sporocysts excyst in the small intestine where sporozoites are released
 * The sporozoites then invade epithelial cells and schizogony is initiated
 * When the schizonts rupture, mereozoites are released and continue to invade more epithelial cells
 * Trophozoites develop into schizonts, containing many mereozoites
 * After about one week, development of male and female gametocytes begin in the mereozoites
 * Fertilization results in the development of oocysts, which are released in the stool

Symptoms
Symptoms of cystoisosporiasis include abdominal pain, cramps, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and fever. The most common symptom of this infection is watery diarrhea. These symptoms can last from weeks to months. Immunocompromised people are more severely affected by Cystoisospora belli and can experience extreme diarrhea that can lead to weakness, anorexia, and weight loss.

Diagnosis and Treatment
Cystoisospora belli is diagnosed by identification of the oocyst through examining a stool sample under a microscope. The diagnostic stage is the immature oocyst that contains a spherical mass of protoplasm. This infection is easily treated with antibiotics. The most common antibiotic that is prescribed is trimethoprimsulfamethoxazole, more commonly known as Bactrim, Septra, or Cotrim.