Introduction
:About 10 percent of the world's population is infected with E.Histolytica.
It is the third most common cause of death (after Schistosomiasis
and Malaria) from parasitic infections. It has a very high incidence
in tropical countries like India, Mexico, Central and South America.
About 90 percent of infections are asymptomatic (do not produce
any symptoms) and the remaining 1O percent produces a spectrum varying
from dysentery to amoebic liver abscess.
Symptoms and Signs : It can either occur
as intestinal or extra-intestinal amoebiasis.
Intestinal amoebiasis : The most common
type of amoebic infection is asymptomatic cyst passage. Symptomatic
patients initially have lower abdominal pain and diarrhoea and later
develop dysentery (with blood and mucus in stool). Fulminant infection
with high grade fever, severe abdominal pain and profuse diarrhoea
occurs in children and in patients receiving steroids. Severe gastric
distention of the bowel can occur. Amoebomas (inflammatory mass
lesion developing in chronic amoebiasis) can present like a malignancy.
Extra-intestinal amoebiasis : Patients
show symptoms of fever and right upper abdominal pain. Jaundice
is rare. Amoebic liver abscesses can also present as pyrexia of
unknown origin. The abscess can sometimes rupture into the pleural,
peritoneal or pericardial cavities.
Prevention : Treatment
of asymptomatic cyst carriers and good sanitation and water facilities
are fundamental in the prevention of amoebiasis. Vaccines are not
available
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