What is amoebiasis?
Q: What is amoebiasis?
A: Amoebiasis, also known as amebiasis or entamoebiasis, is an intestinal infection caused by amoebas of the Entamoeba group.
Q: What causes the infection?
A: The infection is usually caused by Entamoeba histolytica and is normally got when someone drinks water with the parasite in it.
Q: What are the symptoms of amoebiasis?
A: Symptoms vary from serious to none at all. There may be abdominal pain, mild diarrhoea, bloody diarrhoea or severe colitis with tissue death and perforation. This last complication may cause peritonitis. People affected may develop anaemia due to loss of blood.
Q: How is amoebiasis transmitted?
A: Amoebiasis is usually transmitted by water contaminated with faeces. It can also be got indirectly by contact with dirty hands or objects. Infection is spread by ingesting the cyst form of the parasite which can be found in faeces.
Q: Where does amoebic dysentery occur most often?
A: Amoebic dysentery occurs most often in parts of the world with poor sanitation such as México, Central America, western South America, South Asia and western and southern Africa.
Q: Is traveller's diarrhoea usually caused by amoebic dysentery?
A: No, most traveller's diarrhoea is bacterial or viral in origin rather than being caused by ameobic dysentery.
Q: What type of drugs are used to treat an E histolytica infection?
A: Anti-amebic drugs known as ameobicides are used to treat an E histolytica infection since it can occur both in a person's intestine and tissue in their intestine/liver requiring two different classes of drugs for each location respectively
