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Nutritional Disorders/Alternative Medicine
Published in Walter F. Stanaszek, Mary J. Stanaszek, Robert J. Holt, Steven Strauss, Understanding Medical Terms, 2020
Walter F. Stanaszek, Mary J. Stanaszek, Robert J. Holt, Steven Strauss
Food poisoning involves gastrointestinal symptoms after consumption of foods or drink, usually due to salmonella or an enterotoxin. Foods, water or milk can also be carriers for the enteric (intestinal) fevers—typhoid or paratyphoid—caused by Salmonella organisms. Bacillary dysentery (Shigella) and cholera (Vibrio cholerae) are other bacterial diseases spread through food or drinking water. Amebic dysentery, caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica, is transmitted by water or uncooked foods contaminated with human feces. The term traveler's diarrhea refers to the gastrointestinal disorder that occurs from strains of enterobacteria to which immunities have not been developed.
Diseases of the Hepatobiliary Tree and Pancreas Associated with Fever
Published in Benedict Isaac, Serge Kernbaum, Michael Burke, Unexplained Fever, 2019
Blood chemical investigations reveal slightly elevated aminotransferases, elevated alkaline phosphatase, decreased albumin and raised globulin. In addition, a slight leukocytosis and an elevated ESR are present. Specific immunological testing using hemagglutination, gel diffusion precipitation, counter immunoelectrophoresis and immunofluorescence are very accurate; complement fixation is less sensitive. Stool examination for Entamoeba histolytica is generally unrewarding.118
Tropical Colorectal Surgery
Published in Peter Sagar, Andrew G. Hill, Charles H. Knowles, Stefan Post, Willem A. Bemelman, Patricia L. Roberts, Susan Galandiuk, John R.T. Monson, Michael R.B. Keighley, Norman S. Williams, Keighley & Williams’ Surgery of the Anus, Rectum and Colon, 2019
Meheshinder Singh, Kemal I. Deen
Stool antigen detection tests have a higher sensitivity and specificity and can detect the different species of Entamoeba. Various antigen detection kits using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are currently available.124,125 Antigen detection has many advantages, including ease and rapidity of the tests, capacity to differentiate between strains, greater sensitivity than microscopy and potential for diagnosis in early infection. The E. histolytica II, TechLab (Blacksburg, Virginia, USA) stool antigen test is an ELISA test specific to detection of E. histolytica. The assay has a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of >90% compared with culture.126
The management of Babesia, amoeba and other zoonotic diseases provoked by protozoa
Published in Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, 2023
Clemente Capasso, Claudiu T. Supuran
Entamoeba histolytica is a pseudopod-forming, non-flagellated protozoan parasite that can cause amebiasis when a person becomes infected with it [35]. Amebiasis is more prevalent in those countries with tropical and subtropical locations and poor sanitation (Africa, Mexico, parts of South America, and India), although everybody may be at risk [36,37]. When viewed through a microscope, certain parasites can appear strikingly similar to E. histolytica, making diagnosis rather challenging [35]. Amebiasis can cause no symptoms at all, or it can progress to a severe illness characterized by amebic colitis (inflammation of the colon) and amebic liver abscess [36]. In the developing world, where diarrhea is the third largest cause of mortality among children under the age of 5 (accounting for 9% of all fatalities in this age group), amebic colitis is one of the top 15 causes of diarrhea in the first two years of life [36,38]. Fulminant amebic colitis is the most severe and life-threatening complication of amebiasis, presenting with bloody diarrhea, fever, leukocytosis, and stomach pain. Necrosis, toxic megacolon, perforation, and peritonitis may also occur [39].
When IBD is not IBD
Published in Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 2018
Bram Verstockt, Séverine Vermeire, Gert Van Assche, Marc Ferrante
Patients with Entamoeba colitis suffer from CD-like symptoms, including cramping abdominal pain, weight loss and watery or bloody diarrhoea. Fever and grossly bloody stools are usually absent [11]. The similarity in symptomatology and the non-specific endoscopic findings (including erosions and ulcers), coupled with the absence of trophozoites or cysts in stools could make it a diagnostic challenge. Moreover, Entamoeba colitis and IBD can coexist, which obviously further complicates the dilemma of differentiating them. Endoscopically, typical flask-shaped mucosal ulcers may be seen, similar to CD, but continuous mucosal UC-like inflammation can also be observed. Lesions in Entamoeba colitis predominantly involve the caecum and right colon, but can affect the entire colon including the anal region [16].
The impact of water crises and climate changes on the transmission of protozoan parasites in Africa
Published in Pathogens and Global Health, 2018
Shahira A. Ahmed, Milena Guerrero Flórez, Panagiotis Karanis
Entamoeba spp., were presented in ten African countries (Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Sudan, Nigeria, Morocco, Ethiopia, Egypt, Cote d´Ivoire, Cameroon, Burkina Fasso). Diarrhea and dysentery are the most common symptoms after infection with this parasite. Extra-intestinal complications are less frequent to occur; however, high mortality can be associated. In recent cross sectional study in South Africa, E. histolytica was highly loaded in the diarrhea samples [40]. In Ethiopian patients, Entamoeba spp. were the highest predominant protozoa in the diarrhea samples from adults [41] and one of the most identified parasites in children under five years [42]. In Cameroon, Egypt and Sudan, Entamoeba spp., were detected in drinking water [42–44]. Direct wet mount/iodine is a simple, cost effective popular method used in African reports to identify cysts of Entamoeba spp. in water samples which probably raises its reporting numbers.