Stomach problems? It could be a parasite

This is what the blastocystis sp organism looks like under the microscope. Photo: Prof Dr Suresh Govind

It pays to stick to a parasite, like a parasite that’s what Prof Dr Suresh Govind discovered when he was researching a relatively unknown organism called Blastocystis sp back in the 1990s.

For more than 25 years, the parasitologist has toiled on a topic very few scientists are interested in. He stubbornly clung on, and after more than 120 published papers, 250 conference papers and 20 national and international awards of excellence, Prof Suresh and his team of researchers have been recognised as the pioneers of international Blastocystis sp research.