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Amebiasis

Alvaro G Donoso, MD and Sidney Ontai, MBA, MD Reviewed 04/2024
 


BASICS

A parasitic protozoan disease affecting the intestinal mucosa caused by protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica; causes amebic colitis, liver abscess, and (rarely) brain abscess 

DESCRIPTION

  • Sec...

DIAGNOSIS

HISTORY

  • Noninvasive infection (symptoms often nonspecific)

    • Mild diarrhea

    • Abdominal discomfort

  • Invasive infection (amebic colitis; amebic dysentery)

    • Gradual onset of bloody diarrhea

    • Abdominal pain

    • F...

TREATMENT

  • Oral antiparasitic medications as initial outpatient treatment option

  • Avoid antidiarrheal medications.

  • Fulminant colitis with hypovolemia or complicated liver abscess requires inpatient manage...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Patient Monitoring

Repeat stool studies about 2 weeks after completing therapy to ensure eradication. 

DIET

As tolerated 

PATIENT EDUCATION

Food and water safety to av...

REFERENCES

1
Stanley  SLJr. Amoebiasis. Lancet.  2003; 361(9362): 1025– 1034.  [View Abstract]
2
Hung  CC, Ji...

ADDITIONAL READING

  • Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators. Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-speci...

SEE ALSO

Diarrhea, Acute; Diarrhea, Chronic 

CODES

ICD10

  • A06.9 Amebiasis, unspecified

  • A06.0 Acute amebic dysentery

  • A06.4 Amebic liver abscess

  • A06.3 Ameboma of intestine

  • A06.7 Cutaneous amebiasis

  • A06.6 Amebic brain abscess

  • A06.5 Amebic lung abscess

  • A06.1...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • Most E. histolytica infections are asymptomatic. Treat with luminal agents to eradicate infection and prevent shedding of cysts.

  • Nonpathogenic strains of Entamoeba species do not requir...

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