The current view of the diagnosis and management of amebiasis in the light of the authors' own case reports
Abstract
This comprehensive review is focused on a serious protozoan disease, amebiasis. This disease is caused by the human parasite Entamoeba histolytica (E.histolytica), the second leading cause of mortality due to protozoan disease worldwide (the leading cause is malaria).
The incidence of amebiasis in the Czech Republic is very low, but it may be underreported as the disease often escapes diagnosis. Intestinal colonisation by E.histolytica may be asymptomatic.
The clinical picture ranges from diarrhea to colitis or fulminant colitis when the parasite progresses to the trophozoite stage. Secondary dissemination in the blood or lymph system may induce systemic signs of the disease.
Liver abscess is the most common extraintestinal form of amebiasis. The diagnosis of intestinal amebiasis is based on the clinical picture and parasitological examination of the stool.
To diagnose extraintestinal amebiasis, serology tests are used to detect antibodies in the blood. Recently, molecular methods have been increasingly used for the detection of the nucleic acids of the pathogen in biological specimens.
The first line therapy for amebiasis are 5-nitroimidazole drugs, currently available in the Czech Republic. However, surgical intervention should also be considered in patients with a severe course of the disease.
Included in the review are the case reports of patients with severe concomitant intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis.