AMEBIASIS

Amebiasis

is a parasitic infection of the intestine caused by Entamoeba histolytica. It is common in tropical areas of the world where sanitation is poor, allowing food and water supplies to be exposed to fecal contamination.

 Signs

and symptoms

Abdominal tenderness Bloody stools(passage for 3-8 semiformed stools per day, passage of 10-20 stools per day) Fever Vomiting

ETIOLOGY
Entamoeba

histolytica, a unicellular eukaryotic parasite it is belong to the genus Entamoeba. The active stage exist only in the host and in fresh feces; cysts survive outside the host in water and soil and on foods, especially under moist conditions on latter.

 There

are two forms of E. histolytica:

Cysts (infective) only -exist outside the host. They are round and usually10-15 micrometers in diameter. They are nonmotile and surrounded by a wall that includes chitin to help survive the acid in the stomach.

 Trophozoites (noninfectiv e) -exist inside the host and in fresh feces. They are highly motile amoebas, and reproduce by binary fission:

CAUSES
putting

anything into the mouth that has touched the stool of a person who is infected with E. histolytica by swallowing something, such as water or food that is contaminated with E. histolytica

 by

touching and bringing to your mouth cysts(egg) picked up from the surfaces that are contaminated with E. histolytica

RISK FACTORS
people

who have traveled to tropical locations with poor sanitation. Immigrants from topical countries with poor sanitary conditions.

 people

who live in institutions with poor sanitary conditions men who have sex with other men people with compromised immune systems and other health conditions

LIFE CYCLE
The

lifecycle of Amebiasis is very simple, with the human ingesting infective cysts. In the human, the cysts become feeding trophozoites and reproduce asexually. The trophozoites form cysts again and get passed in the feces, where they are eventually ingested again.

cysts of the parasite excystation occurs in the lower region of small intestine and the metacyst rapidly divides to give rise to eigth small trophozoites.

Trophozoits enter the large intestine undergo binary fussion and may invade the host tissue, live in the lumen of the large intestine without invasion or undergo encystation and pass out

CHAIN OF INFECTION

Prevention
Boiling

drinking water or passing it through a .22 micron filter Cleaning of uncooked fruits or vegetables with boiled or filtered water Proper handling of food Public services: adequate sewage disposal and clean water supply

Education about proper food handling and sanitation Health regulations: monitoring of food handlers/vendors, and prevention of cockroaches and flies around food.

For invasive E. histolytica: Flagyl (metronidazole) 750 mg, twice a day, 10 days. Luminal infections can be treated for 10 days three times a day with 500mg furaminde (diloxamide furoate), or 20 days three times a day with 650mg iodoquinol (Yodoxin) or 7 days with 30mg/kg/day paromomycin (Humatin). Asymptomatic cyst passers can be treated with diiodoquin or metronidazole for 20 days.

250mg tetracycline twice a day prevents Shigella, Salmonella and tourist diarrhea. Entero-Vioform is contraindicated since it can produce irreversible neurologic damage to the optic nerve.